Cowardly Wisdom
by Jane Aileas
Summary: The sequel to Stupid Courage! Fourteen years have passed since Ganondorf was defeated, but much is still left to rebuild. With the threat of a civil war brewing, Queen Zelda and the Gerudo council have enough on their hands. But now an unknown evil is lurking within the palace. Its targets are those who brought about Ganondorf's fall, and Link and Zelda on the top of its list.
1. Hibiscus Cornelia Rose

**At last, the long awaited sequel to Stupid Courage has arrived! Hopefully by the end of this fic you'll all be able to say it was worth the wait! It probably wasn't, but that's my dream right now :-D A big, huge, uber apology for taking so long to get this out there!**

**_WARNINGS!_: This fic is rated M for the following: mentions of child abuse, people dying, random acts of destruction and mayhem, and Zelda's potty mouth (yes, she's still at it!). If any of those things disturbs you, please don't read. I don't want to upset anyone!**

**For those that did not read the story that came before this one, Stupid Courage, I highly recommend that you do so before jumping into this one. It's a fun little jaunt into a world of poorly written battle scenes and confusing plot twists! Sadly, this story won't be as enjoyable to you if you haven't read that first. Unless of course you're a badass and don't care, then go right ahead and keep reading!**

**A big huge thanks to Rosa Bella Mortiferum. Without her this story wouldn't be being posted right now! I had a serious case of writer's block, but she helped me out immensely! Seriously, she saved me from the biggest plot hole ever, and also listened to my rambling complaints when I was going through some personal stuff! You should all go thank her and read her stories, because they're better than mine anyway!**

**A special, big huge thanks to VioletInc (aka Nabooru'sapprentice), who is my awesome beta-reader and is making this story sound much better than it did before she got her hands on it. Go read her stories, too, because they are also much better than mine!  
You're the best, beta-reader-sensei!**

**And now... another story, another awful chapter title! And so it begins again. This chapter is... long. Yeah. Very much longer than the others in this fic. Sorry about the length!**

******_SPOILERS!_: Spirit Tracks (sort of), Ocarina of Time, Majora's Mask, and Wind Waker**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Zelda, and I ain't making any money wishing I did! Credit for this story's book cover picture image thing goes to... uh... the wallpaper website I found it on. I figured since it's a wallpaper I'd be safe using it.**

**Onwards to adventure!**

* * *

Cowardly Wisdom

Chapter One

Hibiscus Cornelia Rose

He was lying on his back on the porch, writhing in pain. Legs curled inwards in a desperate struggle to ward off his suffering. His fight against it brought him closer to the edge of the wooden boards. Just a little bit further and he would fall, drop to the stairs below. Just before he did, a large boot hovered over him and then stepped down heavily.

"Byrne!" a teenaged girl protested. "You didn't have to squash it!"

A heavily built young man lifted his foot before scraping it against the wood, leaving the corpse of a small beetle behind. "Shouldn't let things suffer needlessly, Hibiscus."

Hibiscus folded her arms around her and stared down at the dead insect. Had it really been a mercy? If she were in such pain and about to die anyway, would she want someone to come and end it for her sooner? Both ways of dying sounded horrifying.

"Come on, we should get the animals in." Byrne stepped down the porch and onto the gravel path that led towards the barn.

Hibiscus glanced up at the clear blue sky. "It's still kind of early."

"Link said there's going to be a pretty big storm tonight. It'd be safer to get them in early."

With a sigh Hibiscus hopped down the steps after Byrne. "Ok."

Her father always knew when the weather was going to change. Whenever the air began to shift he would feel it in his old injuries, especially his right shoulder, which had been so badly wounded he could barely move the entire arm connected to it. He would joke that he was actually an old man with arthritis in disguise, but she knew he was just trying to make sure she wouldn't worry about him. It never worked, though she would pretend it did to make him feel better.

Well before the hot summer sun had even begun to set, they had all the cows and horses tucked away safely in their stalls. Fresh hay was distributed, and soon the pair was walking back to the house. Just by looking at them, it would have been hard to guess that the two were friends. Byrne was tall with large, bulky muscles, short, dark hair and light grey eyes; he was also eleven years the girl's senior. Hibiscus, on the other hand, was somewhat short for her age and so skinny most who first met her had a hard time believing she worked on a farm. Her face was round where Byrne's was more angled, and her irises were so dark they looked almost black. Her hair was a light brown, and kept pinned back by a long, single braid that ended between her shoulder blades. By appearances alone they looked like complete opposites. By personality they were even more different. However, friends they were, and despite their dissimilarities they were almost always seen together.

As they climbed up the porch steps, Byrne suddenly paused and glanced over his shoulder.

"What's wrong?" Hibiscus asked.

"Did we lock the doors back there?"

Hibiscus put her hands on her hips. "Yes, Byrne," she said in an exasperated tone.

"I'd better check anyway."

"Oh go ahead then. I'll meet you inside."

Byrne gave a noncommittal grunt before turning and leaving her on the porch. With a roll of her eyes Hibiscus pushed back the door and entered the house's comfortable kitchen. A friendly yellow paint clung to the walls, making the wooden floor look lighter than it really was. Half of the room held a dining table that was surrounded by wicker chairs, and the other half was taken up by a long, stone-topped counter and a black stove. Her father was at this end of the room, standing at the counter and chopping up some vegetables. His left hand had a solid grip on the knife as it flew over the green produce, while his right one hung stiffly at his side.

"Hi there, Rosy," Link greeted with a warm smile.

Hibiscus smiled; leave it to her father to find a nickname for her that had nothing to do with her actual name. For as long as she could remember it was what he had always called her, and she didn't really mind. At least, not anymore. A few years ago she had accused him of not liking her real name, but then he had told her a story about meeting her great-great-great-how-ever-many-greats-grandmother, and how she had planned on naming one of her daughters Hibiscus Cornelia Rose.

_"So, you see, it's really just a shortened version of your full name."_ Her father had said. Then he had winked at her. _"I've never told anyone else this story, so don't go sharing it. Otherwise they'll think I'm crazier than they already do!"_

She didn't really believe the story was true anymore, as it was far too fantastical, even for him. But she kept her promise to not tell anyone else, and she also began to grow rather fond of the nickname. It was like a special secret only between the two of them.

"You going to stare at me all day or are you going to help?" Link asked with amusement as he set his knife down long enough to toss her a large spoon. "Stir that soup before it burns on us."

"Oh, sure." Hibiscus quickly ran to the stove, where a pot of delicious smelling soup was bubbling.

"Where's Byrne?"

"Making sure he locked the barn door." She paused in her stirring. For a while she struggled with the temptation of telling Link about her worries of Byrne. For as long as she had known him he had never had the best of memories, but over the past few months it seemed to be getting worse. When she had asked the man about it he had deflected her questions, and then insisted that she not bring it up to anyone else. Remembering that she had promised him, she pushed the idea of telling her father out of her mind.

"Well he sure is taking his time about it. I wanted to ask him if he'd be ok watching over the farm on his own tomorrow."

Hibiscus nodded as she listened to her father, not quite registering what he was saying until she heard the sound of the vegetables being chopped behind her stop. "Wait... on his own?" She turned sharply to see her father staring at her with amusement in his blue eyes.

"That reminds me. I wanted to ask _you_ if you wanted to come with me to the city tomorrow."

"Oh, yes, please!" Hibiscus said excitedly. "Thank you!"

"Make sure you get up early. None of this sleeping in until noon that you seem so fond of lately, or I'll leave without you."

"Don't worry, I'll be up! I'll be up before you!"

Her father sighed as he turned back to his vegetables. "If wishes were horses..." he grumbled.

Hibiscus threw him a mock glare. "You already have a whole herd of horses, so what are you complaining about, old man?"

He laughed. "That's true."

The city! Hibiscus' eyes went wide at the idea of visiting the great metropolis. Usually the only time she was there was for school, and then she didn't have much time to explore or do anything fun besides a few visits to Sera and her family. The last time she had gone just for fun had been years ago, but she couldn't really remember what they had actually done there besides wander around through the large crowds and the deafening noise. For some reason her father didn't really like to go, and only went when he had to buy something that he couldn't wait for in the mail. The last time _that_ had happened had been over two years ago, when one of their plows had broken and half the field still needed tilling, but she hadn't been invited along then.

"Rosy..." her father's voice brought her out of her thoughts.

"Yeah?"

"The soup."

"The soup," she repeated dumbly. Then she remembered she had been placed in charge of making sure it didn't burn. "The soup!" she exclaimed before grabbing her spoon again and quickly giving the broth a viscous stir.

Her father shuffled over and dumped his chopped vegetables into the pot. "Crisis averted?"

"No biggie..." Hibiscus replied hesitantly. "We'll just make sure Byrne gets the bottom bits."

The two winked at each other before the older Hylian wandered towards the window. "Where is that boy anyway?"

Hibiscus ducked her head to hide her smile. Sometimes she wondered if her father ever really noticed that the people around him were growing up. 'Boy' was hardly the word anyone else would use to describe Byrne.

The person in question eventually returned, and after he insisted he could handle the farm for just a day they settled down for dinner.

"It's just the animals that need caring for anyway," her father said as they tucked into their bowls of soup. "The fields are pretty much handling themselves ever since we got that sprinkler system set up."

"How does Sturgeon make those things?" Hibiscus asked as she remembered the automatic watering devices.

Her father gave a half-shrug. "Magic."

"It is not!" Hibiscus protested.

"Well we might meet him at Sera's. You can ask him yourself."

"Do you think we'll meet Queen Zelda?" Hibiscus asked excitedly.

"Probably not. She's very busy," her father answered shortly.

"But... aren't you guys friends? How come she never visits us anymore?" Hibiscus could vaguely recall the last time the woman had come by, with her stern eyes but gentle smile. But that had been ages ago, and she couldn't really remember any other details besides the fact that the aged woman and Link seemed to have had a grand old time mocking one another.

A flicker of annoyance crossed over the man's face, and Hibiscus wondered if she had asked the wrong kind of question. But then he smiled, the humor in his eyes returning just as quickly as it had left. "She comes when she wants to steal our food under the guise of taxes. And if that's not a true friend I don't know what is."

Hibiscus rolled her eyes as Byrne chuckled, and their dinner resumed.

* * *

A loud rumble of thunder that shook the entire house had Hibiscus waking up with a start. A flash of lightning briefly illuminated her room, turning the black lumps of things scattered about the small bedroom into brightly lit pieces of furniture and dolls. Crawling onto her knees and pushing her blanket off of her, Hibiscus pulled back the curtain over her window and peered out. It was pitch dark outside, but she could hear the rain pouring down just behind the thick piece of glass.

Thinking of the rain made her feel suddenly thirsty, and so she climbed out of bed before padding down the wooden floor and down the stairs, her long night gown rustling around her. Just as she reached the last step she noticed a dim light coming from the kitchen already. Trying to be even more quiet than before, she tiptoed towards the doorway and peered inside.

She noticed her father was sitting at the table, his back turned to her and his forehead resting against the wood of the table's surface as he clutched tightly to his right shoulder. Hibiscus chewed on her lip as she watched him, wondering once again what had caused those injuries that they still bothered him even today. She had asked him several times, but he had only gotten a faraway look in his eyes and then changed the subject. Byrne was no better, claiming it was none of his business to tell if she didn't already know.

With an inaudible sigh under her breath, Hibiscus turned and went back to her bedroom. She could wait until morning for her drink.

* * *

The next time she woke up, it was to the sound of bird song. Bright rays of sun were poking through a crack in her curtain, and she rolled over onto her side so it wasn't shining right onto her face.

She was about to drift off again when a knock to her door brought her back to wakefulness. "Go away," she groaned.

"Link says you have to get up now or he's just going to leave without you," Byrne called out to her.

Hibiscus frowned. Leave where? With a start she remembered their plans to go to the city that day. Leaping from her bed, she hurriedly yanked off her night gown and pulled on a comfortable blouse and some pants suited for horse back riding before rushing down to the kitchen.

Her father greeted her with a bowl of oatmeal. "The gremlin awakes," he said, giving her uncombed hair an appraising look.

"I told you I'd be up on time," she replied before quickly digging into her breakfast. Every so often she would cast subtle glances over at her father, to see how he looked now. He seemed fine, not even tired in fact. She wondered how he had managed that. It wasn't like one could just practice not getting any sleep and looking perfectly fine about it. ...Could they? Puzzling over this, she shoved another spoonful of oatmeal into her mouth before raking her fingers through her hair. It was thin enough that the fake comb her hands created was all that was needed to put her hair into a reasonable state.

"Byrne," her father began as Hibiscus continued to eat, hair now fixed. "You'll be alright today, right?"

"I'll be fine, Link. Don't worry!"

"It's mostly just the animals that need caring for anyway. The fields pretty much take care of themselves now that we've got that sprinkler system set up."

Hibiscus gave a frown as she listened to the repeated conversation from last night. Byrne was nodding as if it were the first time he was hearing this, and as her father went over what needed to be done again she began to wonder if maybe her father wasn't so clueless to Byrne's current condition after all.

As soon as they were finished with their breakfast they headed outside to saddle their horses. The barn had already been emptied of animals; most were small, dark specks in the field beyond the barn, but there were two horses that were standing together near the porch, tossing their heads at one another in the early morning rays of the sun.

"Hey, boy," Hibiscus whispered to her dark grey steed, patting the animal along his long, speckled face.

"Ready?" her father asked, already sitting atop a light brown mare.

Climbing onto her saddle, Hibiscus gave a nod.

"Here." Her father tossed her a small box shaped object wrapped in brown paper. "Stick that in your saddle bag for me, will you?"

"What is it?" Hibiscus asked as she gave it a small shake.

"Birthday gift for Orca and Beth's kid."

Hibiscus' eyes widened. "I forgot all about that!"

Link clucked at his horse to get her to start moving. "I figured that managing to survive having those two as your parents for an entire year deserves _something_."

With a grin, Hibiscus followed her father's horse with a long enough distance between the two animals that they wouldn't start biting each other if they got bored. The cobblestoned road to the city ran parallel to a set of long train tracks. As far as Hibiscus knew, Hyrule only had one train still, and that wasn't used by everyone. It was kept safely at the station underneath the palace. But more were being made. Byrne had once mentioned that perhaps in a few more years trains would be the main mode of transportation. Until that particular fantasy came true, however, people stuck to either horses or cars, depending on how far they needed to travel.

Along the way they passed through a few small villages that lay on the outskirts of the city, tucked away in the long grass of Hyrule Field. Eventually they lost the train tracks as they began to burrow underground, where they would continue to travel through the city in a deep tunnel underneath all the buildings. Two guards were positioned just outside the mouth of this tunnel, each garbed in the typical uniform of the Hylian military: grey, tailored pants with a long sleeved shirt of the same color. The only hint of vividness to the otherwise drab outfit was the shirt's thick, dark blue collar that hid most of the neck, making the guards look a bit like turtles that had just removed their heads from their shells. Long rifles were strapped over their backs, but the content expressions on their faces countered the intimidating look of the weapons.

As they passed the tunnel, with the guards barely sparing them a second's glance, the buildings suddenly grew much larger, and the noises of people talking amongst each other filled the air. The cobblestones turned to paved asphalt, and most of the sky was blotted out by towering skyscrapers and cars that floated overhead.

The horses walked casually through the sea of people at their feet; Hylians and Gerudo parted before the beasts, not even looking up from whatever it was they were currently attending to.

"Rosy," her father called over his shoulder at Hibiscus. "I need to make a quick stop down here." He pointed down a road, and after a quick moment of searching Hibiscus spotted a sign that claimed it led to the old Hylian district. "You can go ahead to Sera's if you want."

Hibiscus' heart nearly stopped at the suggestion. She looked with wide eyes over her horse's head, down the main road and at the large crowds she had yet to go through. Despite the fact that she spent every school year in the city, she wasn't certain she would ever get used to the hordes of people. "I'll stick with you!" she said quickly.

The man nodded and then continued leading the way. As they traveled down the more narrow road, Hibiscus noticed that the buildings around them started to sink a bit lower. Eventually they reached a large area that was almost completely devoid of people. The change felt so sudden that Hibiscus had to take a moment to adjust to the sudden silence. It was almost as if this place was in some sort of bubble, which blocked out any sounds except those of the birds that hopped around on the ground. Most of this much more peaceful place was made up of crumbled asphalt, with weeds and grass digging their way out between the cracks of the road. Around the decaying road were tiny buildings that had been patched up with different sheets of metal over several years. There was only one building that stood out from the others, at the opposing side of the battleground between weeds and pavement. This one was much larger than any of the other buildings, and in much better shape. From the looks of things, this was the only house in the area that was currently being cared for, with a fresh coat of cream-colored paint and a tiled roof that didn't look like it was about to collapse at any moment.

Hibiscus stared around her in awe. She had heard of the old Hylian district, but had never actually gone there herself. The only other object of interest in that large, empty space was a giant statue in the very center of the district. It was carved from stone, and depicted a Hylian and a Gerudo standing together, back to back, the Hylian holding a bow and the Gerudo holding a large scimitar.

She frowned confusedly, wondering what her father could possibly have to do here. The old building at the other end of the clearing appeared abandoned despite its somewhat superior appearance to the other houses, and there was no one else around except a few older couples wandering around. They seemed to be admiring both the decrepit houses and the statue, though what they were finding so impressive with the buildings Hibiscus had no idea.

"I'll be right back," her father called to her, and she realized with a start that she had lost herself in her thoughts again. The older Hylian was already dismounting near the old building.

Hibiscus urged her horse closer to the statue and scanned over the small plaque that was set at the two people's feet.

"In memory of those who died to free this city from tyranny, both Hylian and Gerudo."

Pursing her lips, Hibiscus walked her horse so it stood next to her father's and then dismounted. She walked up a small porch, the wood underneath her groaning loudly with every step she took. She ran the rest of the way into the house, worried that if she took too long the whole thing would collapse underneath her.

Inside she saw a large desk that was placed directly in front of a wide open doorway. Sitting behind the desk was a middle-aged woman with dark eyes and hair dyed a bright green.

"Hey there, cutie," the woman said with a wink. "Welcome!"

"Hi..." Hibiscus replied uncertainly. Then she saw her father through the doorway and quickly ran in after him. "Dad, what is this place?" she asked as she studied the new room she was in.

Rows of bookcases completely blocked out any sign of the walls, and in the center were sofas and armchairs, along with a few small tables scattered about between them. A blue carpet tugged at her feet, threatening to have them sink into it if she stood still for too long.

"This," her father began, turning to look at his daughter. "This is going to be a library. Someday. The receptionist out there came up with the idea."

"That's neat," Hibiscus said with a slight shrug.

Link sat down at one of the chairs and leaned into the cushions, sighing comfortably. Hibiscus soon joined him, sitting across from him and trying to read all the emotions that were currently flickering across his face as his gaze travelled across the room. Finally he looked at her, and his expression settled to its usual goofy grin.

"Arly used to live here. I think she'd like the idea of her house becoming a place where people can share and learn all sorts of different things."

Hibiscus looked around the room with a new sense of awe. So _this_ is where that crazy woman used to live. "When was the last time you heard from her?"

"Not since that one letter three years ago," Link said. "That doesn't really mean anything though. She's probably been distracted by some new discovery," he added with a fond smile.

Hibiscus snorted in amusement, recalling the last letter they had received from Arlene. It had been short, but the writer had been clearly excited as she stated that she had discovered something incredible and that she had included pictures of it. She had forgotten to actually include the pictures, and so Hibiscus, Link, and Byrne had spent many an evening trying to guess at what it was she had discovered.

Chewing on her lip as silence fell between them again, Hibiscus tried to come up with something else to say. "Hey, that receptionist out there is kind of cool looking, huh?"

With a moan, Link let his head fall against his chair's back. "Stop trying to hook me up with every single woman you meet."

"Oh come on, you're not getting any younger! You need to meet someone!" Hibiscus teased. A strange silence passed between them at those words, and Hibiscus began to feel nervous. "Wait... you didn't already meet someone you like, did you?" she demanded.

Her father lifted his head and looked at her, a sad smile on his lips. She waited half a heart beat for him to answer her, but then noticed the closed off look in his eyes, the same that he got whenever she tried to ask him about his battles in the war against Ganondorf.

"So when's it going to open?" she asked finally. "The library, I mean."

He almost seemed grateful at the change of subject. "Hopefully in a few months, when the school opens again for the year."

A frown worked its way across Hibiscus' face. "Hey, Dad-"

"Don't start with me on this again," her father said with a sigh. "We go through this every year; yes, you still have to go to school."

"But it's not fair!" she protested. "All the other kids that live on farms get to be home schooled. And even most of the ones in the villages! Besides, I learn more from you anyway," Hibiscus added with a grumble.

Her father chuckled. "You learn how to manage a farm, and _maybe_ a few other things here and there. We both know I don't have Sturgeon's know-how on the theoretical stuff." He straightened and looked her in the eye. "Rosy, a lot of good people died so that you could have a school to go to where you actually _learn_."

Hibiscus remained silent, her thoughts suddenly back at the statue outside. When he didn't continue after a long pause Hibiscus stood. "I think I will go to Sera's after all."

"I'll catch up with you in a bit," her father called after her, and his voice had lost the serious tone it had adopted just a few minutes earlier.

Hibiscus was soon back on the road, heading towards the market square. From her vantage point on top of her horse, she was able to easily see over the heads of anyone around her and pick out all of the different shops and the large signs that labeled them. She passed bakeries that made her stomach growl, clothes stores that sold Hylian outfits, clothes stores that sold Gerudo outfits, and, finally, Sera's Books and Sundries.

It was one of the larger stores in the area, set off of the ground by a small porch. Like the others, the building was bilevel; the first floor was the store in its entirety, but the second floor was a living space for its owners. Hibiscus had been in both levels several times, and though the decor changed the smell didn't. Sera seemed to carry the scent of vanilla with her where ever she went, and already Hibiscus could smell it even as she neared the porch. A little sign announcing the store closed hung between the store's large window and a thick curtain that kept prying eyes outside.

Pulling her horse as close as it would go to the side of the concrete building, she dismounted and marched towards the door. Though the sign said closed she knew the door would be unlocked; the family would be inside somewhere, celebrating the first birthday of Orca and Beth's son. Before she could reach the first step of the porch, a gnarled hand grabbed at her arm tightly.

"Hey!" Hibiscus shouted, trying to pull her arm free even before turning to see who had grabbed her.

The culprit was a heavy set man, dressed in a long robe and with short, curly, grey hair framing his square face.

"Let go!" Hibiscus snapped at him.

"You are Hylian!" the man announced, and she stared at him with a glare that said 'obviously.' "Don't support the Gerudo shops! They expect us to just forget what they did to us fourteen years ago, but we will always remember! The rebellion should have killed them all, this is our city! Our lands!"

A larger hand fell upon this man's shoulder, and Hibiscus followed the heavy arm attached to it to a long face that held light blue eyes and neatly trimmed, sandy blond hair that was flecked by a few strands of grey. It was his clothes that made him stand out, however, for instead of the typical, casual clothes that everyone else in the surrounding crowds were wearing, he was dressed in a military uniform.

"Release the little lady," this new man said, his voice laden with confidence.

The grey haired man quickly let go of Hibiscus' arm and turned sharply. "You should be ashamed of yourself," he spat at the taller man. "The Hylian military is supposed to protect us, but you let the Gerudo walk around like equal citizens!"

The blond man raised an eyebrow. "If I recall, you were living in the old Hylian district fourteen years ago, and you weren't too eager to leave when we were evacuating it... I think I remember having to knock you out and carry you."

The man glared at him and then stalked off.

"You alright?" Hibiscus' rescuer asked her.

Hibiscus nodded quietly as she rubbed at her arm. "What was that guy's problem?"

He shrugged and then looked around the square. "Do you live around here?"

Hibiscus recognized the unspoken question in the man's words. What he really wanted to know was if she was an orphan or not. "I live at one of the farms. Me and my dad are just here to visit Sera. She's an old friend of my dad's."

"Ah..." A flicker of realization burst into the man's eyes. "You wouldn't happen to be Hibiscus, would you?"

"Y...Yeah."

"Sheesh, kid, last time I saw you you could barely sit up straight, never mind walk and talk!" the man said happily. He held out his hand for her to shake. "The name's Russ."

As Hibiscus shook the man's hand it was her turn to be struck with a sudden realization. "Not _General_ Russ!"

"Heh, guess you've heard of me then, huh?"

"Dad talks about you all the time!"

"Really?"

Russ looked rather pleased about this, so she decided not to tell him what it was that her father actually said about the officer.

_"That man wouldn't recognize the brewing of a civil war if it punched him in the face,"_ her father had once ranted. Though as Hibiscus looked around the city, she couldn't understand what her father meant either; everything seemed rather peaceful, and there were Hylians and Gerudo walking together without any problems that she could see. The strange old man had left, and everyone else had been ignoring him. She really couldn't see where Link was getting that idea at all.

"General," the voice of her father floated over their heads as Link finally joined them.

"Hey, Link," Russ said, moving to hold the horse steady while Link dismounted from it. "Her Majesty has been asking about you."

Link grimaced. "Well you can tell her that I'll talk to her again when she agrees to stop pestering me about..." he paused and glanced at Hibiscus. "Well, you know."

"Figured that'd be your response," Russ said with a shrug. "Well I have to get going, but it was nice to see you again. The both of you!"

"Bye!" Hibiscus said while her father just nodded at him. As General Russ disappeared into the crowd, she looked towards Link. "What was that about?"

"It's nothing, Hibiscus," Link answered, and she frowned at his back as he started to walk towards the store. He never used her real name unless it was something really serious. The last time she had heard him use it was when she had nearly gotten herself killed trying to calm down a startled horse on her own when she was six.

So what, exactly, was Queen Zelda pestering him about that was so important?

* * *

**That's it for chapter one! Again, sorry if it was a bit too long, but the other chapters are much shorter than this one!**

**Updating schedule: I'm thinking Tuesdays. Any naysayers out there? **

**More random information: This fic is sixty chapters long, plus an epilogue. I KNOW! Super long! This is the longest thing I've written, ever! ...I just realized that, if I keep up with my one chapter a week schedule, I won't be posting the epilogue until next year! That blows my mind.**

**Questions/comments/concerns? Feel free to let me know in a review or PM! I love any kind of feedback (the more honest the better!), and I promise to answer any questions you have unless it's something that will be revealed later on. **

**Thanks so much for reading!**


	2. Sturgeon Two Point Oh

**Thanks to VioletInc, Guest, and Deflow for reviewing! You guys rock!**

**Guest: Er... no. I avoid erotica like the plague! Not to worry though, there are plenty of action scenes and battles in this story!**

**Deflow: Thanks, I'm glad you're enjoying the story so far! As for romance... um, kinda sorta? See, I like to write friendships, but I suppose some of those friendships could be seen as budding romances if you would prefer to see them that way. I didn't really focus on anything other than friendships in this fic though, because Hibiscus is still pretty young (and, as you'll see later on, there's not much time for her to think about relationships anyway). So there you go, my rambling answer to a straight-forward question!**

**On to chapter two!**

* * *

Chapter 2

Sturgeon 2.0

"Ed!" Beth called out excitedly as Link and Hibiscus entered Sera's Books and Sundries.

Hibiscus quickly leaped to the side as the young woman came charging forward, a blur of loose, brown curls, and a lavender dress. She yanked Link into a tight hug, her green eyes alight with excitement.

"Beth... can't really breathe..." Link muttered, patting her desperately on her back.

"Oh don't be so dramatic all the time," Beth scolded, but she pulled away anyway. She turned to Hibiscus, and the young girl could instantly feel the older woman's gaze focus on her. Beth was like a sharpshooter when it came to giving hugs that could crush a person; Hibiscus could've sworn she saw Beth's pupils narrow ever so slightly as she became the woman's next target. Then she was pulled into a hug the same as Link, and it became much harder to pull in air.

"Hi... Beth," Hibiscus choked out.

"Come on!" Beth said excitedly, releasing Hibiscus. "We're all in the next room."

Beth led Hibiscus and Link across the store, past shelves of random knickknacks, and finally through a large doorway that had a curtain of blue and green beads hanging down from it. This part of the room was the store's book area, and settled comfortably on the floor in front of a bookcase that proudly sported Gerudo tales and Hylian myths were Orca, Sera, and a small toddler being held up between the two of them.

Sera, a pudgy woman who would have looked like an exact copy of Beth had she been younger, scrambled to her feet and surrounded Hibiscus into a hug. The smell of the woman's vanilla perfume filled the younger girl's nostrils before she was released.

"I'm so glad you came, dearie! We don't see you nearly enough when school's in session!" Sera exclaimed. Then she turned to Link, and promptly slapped her hand against the back of his head.

"What was that for!?" Link asked, rubbing at the sore spot.

"You need to visit more often!" Sera said with a huff, placing her hands on her hips. "Running a farm is no excuse for not coming to see poor, lonely, old Sera!"

Orca looked at her with an incredulous expression. "You're not alone!" he complained. "I'm here everyday! And so is Beth and your grandson!"

"Oh you don't count, dearie, you're family," Sera said dismissively. "I can't gossip about family to family!"

A pout began to form on the man's face before Link finally escaped from Sera's accusing glare to join him.

"Has he started talking yet?" Link asked Orca, holding out a finger for the little boy sitting in the other man's lap to grab onto eagerly.

"Nothing yet," Orca said, his short black hair more tousled than usual, as if he hadn't had the time to comb it in months.

"Well, that's not necessarily a bad thing," Link commented. "Once they start they don't stop."

Hibiscus glared at him. "Hey!"

He winked at her, and she rolled her eyes at him; the action only served to make his grin widen that much more.

"So where's your brother?" Link asked as he tried to pry his finger free from the infant's tight grip.

"He should've gotten here before you," Orca replied with a shrug.

"Probably got distracted by something shiny," Beth said casually as she sat down at the other side of Orca.

"Find somewhere to sit, Hibiscus," Sera said as she plopped down on the floor across from Beth. "We're playing games over here."

Hibiscus tried to keep her face neutral; she felt like she was a bit too old for baby games, but when she glanced at her father and saw his eyes light up with a child-like glee she gave a sigh and sat down next to Sera. A comfortable, dark red carpet acted as a cushion, and soon they were all gathered in a small circle. Just as Hibiscus sat, her father leaped to his feet.

"That reminds me! I've got a present for him!"

As the man rushed out, Hibiscus wished she hadn't been so quick to sit down. It would have been easier to follow him if she had still been standing awkwardly at the doorway. Now, though, she was trapped under both Sera and Orca's line of sight. She tried to make herself look as small as possible.

_"Please don't talk to me, please don't talk to me..."_ she muttered inside her head.

"So how are things at the farm?" Orca asked curiously as he carefully placed his son on his own two feet.

_"Damn it."_

The toddler promptly fell down as soon as Orca released him, but given his height he didn't have very far to fall and the soft carpet saved him from any possible injury.

"Alright," Hibiscus said with a shrug. She cast around for something else to say. Why was it so hard to hold a conversation with these people? They were friends, and she never had any problem talking with Byrne or her father. Finally her brain came up with something new to add, and she quickly spat it out before the silence lingered any longer. "Sturgeon's sprinkler system is really helping out a lot. We might even be able to start harvesting earlier than usual this year."

"Well tell your father if he needs any help with that I'd be glad to head out there for a few weeks."

"Sure, thanks."

Silence again. Was it her turn to say something again? That had sounded like the end of the conversation, but...

"Back!" The cheerful voice of her father had her breathing a quiet sigh of relief.

The attention that had been on her promptly fell to Link, and to the wrapped package in his hands.

Beth gave an excited squeal as she pointed it out to her son. "Look! What is it, Impal?"

As she opened what turned out to be a set of blocks underneath the little boy's nose, Hibiscus scooted closer to her father when he sat down next to her, not feeling the least bit embarrassed as she felt the tension melt away from her.

Link soon left her side, however, as he leaned forward and began to show the infant how to stack the blocks. Impal stared at the tower that was being constructed before him with wide eyes before carefully selecting a block and putting most of it into his mouth. Loud sucking noises filled the room as the other adults quickly joined in to help Link build his tower.

Hibiscus watched this with amusement. Impal wasn't even interested anymore in the building; it would appear that eating the blocks before they could be used as bricks was a far more engaging task for the one year old. When she realized no one else was really paying attention to the baby, Hibiscus quickly scrambled forward and snatched the block from his hands and out of his mouth.

"Don't swallow it!"

Impal turned his eyes up to her, and for a moment she recognized the stubborn look in his blue eyes; it was the same one that both of his parents would get on a regular basis. He kept those stubborn eyes on her as his tiny hands crawled over the carpet in search of another block. As soon as he found one he plopped it into his mouth.

"Really?" she muttered at him.

He pulled the block out of his mouth long enough to give her a wide grin and a giggle.

"Don't worry about it, hun," Sera called out. "They're too big for him to swallow."

Hibiscus glanced over at her, where she and all the others were on the floor on their stomachs, stacking the blocks higher and higher in a tower that grew increasingly more crooked the more they added onto it.

"You sure?" she asked cautiously, glancing over at Impal, who was still sucking on his block happily.

"Gosh, you're more worried about it than I am!" Beth complained as she stood up and grabbed Impal, pulling the block away from him. "Maybe you should be the parent!"

Link glanced up at that remark, and both he and Hibiscus were wearing matching expressions of faint horror at Beth's suggestion. Orca burst into laughter when he saw their faces. His giggles continued until Link gave him a sharp jab to his side with his elbow.

"Ow!" Orca grumbled, shooting his friend a glare.

Their activities were interrupted by the sudden arrival of Sturgeon, Orca's brother and headmaster of the city's school. "I'm here! And I got cake!" the short man announced, his cleanly shaven head looking even larger than the last time Hibiscus had seen him. "Good grief," the man commented as he surveyed the room, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the blocks. "You expect that tower to last? Where's your support columns!?"

As if to prove his point, the tower suddenly collapsed of its own accord. Giving a smug look at Orca, he crossed over the room and handed Sera the boxed cake he had brought with him. "Now where's that nephew of mine? I need to show him how to build a proper tower, before your lax parenting kills all of his brain cells." He nodded at Hibiscus as he passed her. "Hello, Hibiscus."

"Hi, Professor."

Sturgeon crouched in front of Impal, and the two stared at each other in silence. Finally Sturgeon turned towards his brother. "You know, it's not too late to change his name..."

Beth gave a groan. "For the last time, Sturgeon, we are not calling him Sturgeon Two Point Oh!"

Hibiscus smirked at that. Sturgeon 2.0? It certainly sounded like something the eccentric teacher would suggest.

Eventually they were all seated around a large, foldable table that Sera had set up. Plates and glasses of milk were passed around as they got ready for their dessert.

Hibiscus listened to the conversations around her, to the two brothers as they argued about the best way to cut a cake, at Beth and Sera as they yelled at the brothers to just cut it already because it really wasn't all that complicated, and to her father and Impal, the former of which was describing his favorite flavor of cake, and the latter of which who was gurgling at the man happily. Hibiscus watched her father in action with a smile on her face, wondering if he missed the days when she had been that age and could ramble endlessly about pointless things, without having to worry about complaints that he was talking like a crazy man.

After a moment that was longer than it should have been, pieces of cake were finally passed around. The room fell to silence as everyone's focus shifted to the sugary goodness in front of them.

Sturgeon was the first to finish, as he practically inhaled the sugary object. He tried to wait patiently for the others to finish before starting up another conversation, but barely a second passed before he grew bored. "So, Hibiscus, I hope you're keeping up with your math skills while you're stuck on that farm this summer."

Hibiscus shifted uncomfortably. "Sort of..."

Link raised an eyebrow at her. "You have skills?" he asked, but the glint in his eyes made it obvious he was just teasing her.

"Last year, we discovered that that daughter of yours has a knack for physics," Sturgeon said with a hint of pride in his voice.

The fork in Link's hand sunk lower, a chunk of cake still lying on it. "How come I'm just hearing about this now?"

"It didn't seem all that important," Hibiscus muttered, wishing she could crawl under the table and join Impal, where the baby was currently tugging at people's shoelaces before stringing them into his mouth.

"Not important!?" Sturgeon spluttered. "You keep it up you could become a professor at the school yourself!"

Link stared at her with wide eyes, a look of pride at a level she had never seen before reflected in them. She shrugged uncomfortably. "I guess."

She could see that her father could sense her discomfort, and even though she knew he didn't understand where it was coming from he changed the subject, much to Hibiscus' relief. All the same, she still wished she could sink into her chair and disappear forever. Of course he didn't understand. How could he? He had spent his entire childhood trying to learn as much as he could, pouring over what few books he could manage to get his hands on while he had been stuck in the Gerudo's version of a school that was only intended to foster the next generation of workers for their city. He couldn't possibly understand why anyone would _not_ want to learn as much as possible; why anyone would just want to live on a farm when that person was capable of so much more. Sometimes she didn't understand it herself.

* * *

Hibiscus got stuck with babysitting duty while Sera and Beth got to work on cleaning up the dishes and table and anything else that was covered with a layer of cake crumbs and milk puddles. Sturgeon had left just a few minutes earlier, claiming he had more important things to do than wash dishes.

"My brain would die from doing such a menial task for even a second!" the man had exclaimed before rushing out.

"Ed," Orca called out, and Hibiscus watched as he waved her father towards the other room. "Can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure."

Curiosity getting the better of her, Hibiscus made sure Impal was happy with the block he was chewing on before sneaking closer to the doorway. Peering through the curtain of beads, she caught sight of her father and Orca walking outside. Standing on tiptoes, she crept over to the door and gave it a small push. It opened easily, and with just a crack through which to see she pinned her ear as close to the outside air as she could get it.

"I ran into Zelda a few weeks ago," Orca was saying, and she heard her father give a sigh.

"Wait, what were you doing that you managed to run into the queen?" Link asked with some amusement.

"The Gerudo council had ordered some books from us, so I got stuck on delivery duty. ...You know that place is even more segregated than last time we visited? There's a line separating the Hylian half of that place from the Gerudo's that's so obvious they might as well paint it on the floor."

Her father leaned against the porch railing, rubbing a hand across his face as he let his elbow rest against the thick wood. "Things are getting worse," he said quietly, so quietly that Hibiscus had trouble hearing him at first. "Last year we barely had any Gerudo ordering crops from us, and from what I've heard from the others it's the same thing. Most Gerudo are only buying from Gerudo run farms, and the Hylians are just as stubborn."

Orca joined Link at the railing, leaning against it in a similar position. "She really thinks you could help out, Ed. You were the one to kill Ganondorf after all, so you hold a lot of weight with both peoples."

Hibiscus watched her father's shoulder tense as Orca spoke. "Don't remind me," he muttered. He glanced at Orca. "I don't want anything more to do with politics. I spent five years going back and forth between this place and the farm, and it didn't get us anywhere new."

"You managed to convince them to just have the one school for everyone. That's something Zelda could never have gotten done without you!"

"Orca," Link began tiredly. "I'm not going to do what Zelda wants me to. I can't, not this. I don't want that kind of life, and I don't want it for Rosy, either."

"Well... I understand, of course. I'm just being annoying about it because otherwise Zelda will get annoyed at me... sorry, buddy." Orca's voice suddenly became much less serious. "Trust me, man, I don't want you being king anymore than you do."

"Is that supposed to be reverse psychology?" Link asked with a hint of laughter in his voice.

"...Is it working?"

"No."

"Then no. You've got to wonder though who she's going to pick to succeed her then, if she can't get you."

Link snorted in amusement. "If I remember right, I think I recommended your mother-in-law."

As the two men's laugher filled the air, and their conversation turned to something far less interesting, Hibiscus turned back and quickly rejoined Impal. Was that what Queen Zelda had been pestering her father about? She wanted him to become the next ruler of Hyrule after she died? Hibiscus felt her face flush as she thought about it. It was true the queen didn't have any heirs, but still... why him? Why _them_? Was her father really respected that much by both the Gerudo and the Hylians that she would risk putting someone with absolutely no governing experience in charge of Hyrule?

She really wanted to talk to Link about this, but then she would have to admit to eavesdropping. Deciding that she would discuss it with Byrne instead, she started to get ready to leave. It was almost evening, and if they wanted to make it back home before nightfall they would have to get going soon.

* * *

They rode out of the city in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. It wasn't until they were back in the quiet countryside that Link decided to break the silence. "So, it looks like you've been holding back on me, wonder brain," he commented, looking back at her over his shoulder with a smile.

Hibiscus wished again that she could just disappear. "It's not a big deal, I'm not _that_ good."

"That's not what Sturgeon said. Apparently you have a gift!" He slowed his horse so they were walking alongside each other. "I'm proud of you, Rosy."

Rosy bit her lip. She supposed it was now or never. "But I really don't want to work at the school," she protested weakly.

With only a small frown on his brow, Link took his eyes off the road to meet her gaze. "Why not? You could learn so much working there... maybe even come up with some ideas that put Sturgeon's to shame! _You_ could be Sturgeon Two Point Oh!"

He was trying to be funny, but every word just made her feel more frustrated. Why couldn't he just accept what she said? "I like the farm," she grumbled, slouching her shoulders. "It's peaceful there."

"It's not like you'd be stuck in the city. You could even commute, if you wanted! Visit during weekends... it wouldn't be the end of the world. And if you're as good at it as Sturgeon says you are, you probably wouldn't even notice you were so far from the farm. Just think of all those new discoveries waiting for your brain to discover! Hyrule needs geniuses like you to continue exploring new inventions, or medicines, or... any discovery, really."

Hibiscus bit back a sigh, wondering how she could explain this without making herself sound ridiculous. Every argument that popped into her head sounded more pathetic than the last, even to herself. Finally she decided to just settle for the truth. "It's just... not what I want to do. I like the farm."

She finally looked up from her slouched position and met his eyes. They were confused; he didn't understand why she wouldn't want to keep expanding her mind, but there was also something deeper in there that hurt her more than anything he could have possibly said: he was disappointed.

Finally he smiled. "I just want you to be happy, of course. But..." he hesitated. "I'm worried you're just being lazy."

She had been wrong. There was something he could say that was more hurtful than that look of disappointment.

They travelled the rest of the way to the farm in silence.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! ****See you next week!**


	3. The Wagon Train

**A big thanks to those who have followed this story so far, and to Guest and Shut Up I'm Evil for reviewing! **

**Guest: Lol, you've got a one track mind, don't you! I'm just gonna say keep reading and you'll find out eventually (maybe), mostly because I'm in a bit of a rush and don't have time for my usual rambling answers (sorries)!**

**Shut Up I'm Evil: Firstly, cool name! Secondly, thanks so much for your review, you have no idea how much it meant to me. In my personal opinion I think that this sequel has a better story. But I'll leave that for you to judge, since my personal opinion is extremely biased ;-)**

**On with the chapter!**

* * *

Chapter 3

The Wagon Train

Hibiscus had never been so glad to see the farm house than she was that evening. The entire remainder of their trip home from the city had been finished in awkward silence, and neither she nor Link had wanted to try breaking through it. Her sulking depression over Link's earlier words had slowly transformed into a frustrated anger, and by the time they were leading their horses down the dirt path to the barn her face had grown a sour expression.

"I'll take care of the horses," Link said as he dismounted just outside the barn doors.

Hibiscus rolled her eyes at the cheerfulness that was back in the man's voice. "Fine."

Sliding off of her saddle, she patted her horse on the side of his neck and then stomped to the house. Crickets leaped desperately to the side as her feet interrupted their evening song, but she ignored them as she cut across the yard that lay between the house and the barn. Stomping up the back porch, she shoved the kitchen door open and let it slam against the wall with a loud bang.

Warm light poured onto her from the cheery room, but Hibiscus barely noticed the bright colors around her as she walked inside. Byrne was at the sink, washing up his dinner dishes.

"There you are!" the man greeted her. "Where've you been all day?"

Hibiscus paused for a moment, her worry for her friend's memory replacing her other emotions. It didn't last for very long, however, and she was soon ignoring his welcoming smile and marching across the room towards the hall. "Dad's a jerk!" she snapped, just before slipping out of his sight and marching up the stairs to her room.

"Uh... ok." Byrne had learned long ago to never get involved with the teenager's problems when she was in such a mood.

Storming into her room, Hibiscus slammed her door shut loudly and then flopped onto her bed, her arms crossed over her chest tightly.

"You want dinner?" Byrne's voice chased after her.

"I'm not hungry!" Hibiscus hollered back. Her stomach gave a growl of protest at her remark, but she rolled onto her side and ignored it.

Two hours later found Hibiscus in the same moping state. The sky was pitch black now and there were no stars to be seen. A few faint moonbeams managed to break out from behind a thick, grey cloud, but the lights from the house were much brighter.

A light knock on her door brought Hibiscus' attention away from the window right above her bed. She glared at the wood, as if that would be enough to send whoever was at the other side to leave.

"I know you're not sleeping," came Byrne's annoyed voice. "The light's on."

With a growl in her throat, Hibiscus slid off of her bed and walked to the door. "People can sleep with a light on, you know," she said, pulling the door open.

Resting in Byrne's hands was a sandwich and a glass of milk. She raised an eyebrow at him.

"I didn't believe you," Byrne said with a shrug, holding out the small meal. "You're always hungry."

Hibiscus glared at him. "I am not! Give me that!" She snatched the sandwich from him and then studied it carefully.

"It's not going to kill you," Byrne complained, easily shoving past her and walking across the room to set the glass on her desk.

"Did Dad make this?" she asked suspiciously, peering into the dimly lit hallway and half-expecting to see Link lurking around in the shadows, just waiting for her to take a bite and then claim she had accepted his peace offering.

"Nope," Byrne answered casually.

Hibiscus wasn't certain she believed him, but she _was_ rather hungry. With one final look at the empty hall, she closed her door and stuffed a large bite of bread, cheese, and cucco into her mouth. "Thanks," she garbled out from around her mouthful.

"So what happened?"

She forced herself to swallow before speaking for a second time. "I don't want to talk about it."

Byrne stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets and gave her a contemplative look.

She glared back at him. Why was it so hard for the men in her family to just accept what she said? "Did you know the queen wants Dad to be the next ruler?"

A frown settled on Byrne's face. "That's what you're upset about?"

"No! But did you?"

"No," Byrne said with a shrug. "But it doesn't surprise me."

"Really?" Hibiscus suddenly felt like pouting. "How come I'm the only one who didn't see this coming?"

"I dunno," Byrne said with another shrug. He laughed when she cast him a withering glare. "Link saved a lot of people, Hylians _and_ Gerudo, from a really dark time. Most of them remember that, even if some don't want to."

Hibiscus' shoulders sank slightly lower as she considered this. "I guess."

"Well, g'night, Hibiscus," Byrne said after a moment of silence. He shuffled across the room towards the door. "Don't let the bedbugs bite!"

"How many times do I have to tell you, I don't have bedbugs!" Hibiscus protested as Byrne pulled open the door and stepped into the hall.

"How would you know? You're not the neatest of people," Byrne said. He gestured around her room, pointing her gaze to the piles of books, papers, and dolls that lay scattered around the room in small piles.

With her sandwich now finished, and only a few crumbs laying on the floor at her feet, Hibiscus placed her hands on her hips. "If I cared about being neat, I'd clean, Byrne," she claimed in an exasperated tone.

Byrne grinned at her and then closed the door behind him. Listening to his heavy footsteps fade down the hall towards his own room, Hibiscus drained her glass of milk and then got ready for bed.

* * *

A deafening clap of thunder pulled her out of her dreams. Rain splashed against the glass pane over her window and drummed out an erratic beat on the roof over her head. She heard someone moving around downstairs, and imagined it was her father, being kept awake yet again by his injuries protesting the bad weather. A flicker of guilt rushed through her as she pictured him being kept awake for a second night in a row. With a groan she glanced towards the clock on her wall; it was barely three in the morning.

She listened as the floorboards in the kitchen creaked under his footsteps, and then again in the hallway below the stairs. She frowned when they both creaked at the same time. Was there someone else down there? Byrne, maybe?

Curious, she climbed out of bed and crept to the top of the stairs. A bright light was filling the downstairs hall from the kitchen across the way, and low voices reached her ears; they were too quiet for her to make out any words, but she instantly recognized that there was more than one. Climbing down, she peaked into the kitchen to see her father standing beside Byrne, their backs turned to her as they faced someone else - a man in a military uniform. It took a while to place this newcomer, but he looked familiar and as soon as he started to speak she recognized the confidence in his voice as belonging to General Russ. She was a bit taken aback by how much taller he looked inside their small kitchen than he had within the city, but the rest of him looked exactly as she remembered him from before, save for a thin layer of stubble around his chin, as if he hadn't had time to finish shaving before deciding to visit them... at three in the morning. Hibiscus frowned; something was up.

"I've got a van waiting for you," Russ was saying, his hands folded behind his back and his expression a mask of neutrality.

Her father was strapping a belt around his waist, and she noticed that he was already dressed in his day clothes while Byrne was still in his pajamas.

"How long ago did this happen?" her father asked, a sense of urgency in his voice.

"We just heard about it a few hours ago."

"_Hours_?" Link repeated, running his hand through his hair. "Why didn't you tell me sooner!?"

A small frown of annoyance twitched at the general's brow before his face returned to his impassive expression. "Things are a bit hectic in the palace right now," he said, with none of his earlier annoyance twisting at his voice.

For a moment Hibiscus marveled over the fact that this man, this military leader and the queen's right-hand man, was making such a huge effort to be respectful of just her father. She thought back to her conversation with Byrne. Maybe there was something to Zelda's plans after all.

Link snorted as he scratched at the back of his head. "I can imagine. Does anyone besides a Gerudo have eyes on it?"

Russ shook his head. "I'm not sure. I just found out about it myself, and the queen was all pretty adamant about getting you over there."

Hibiscus frowned at the strange tone in the general's voice. It had only been there when Russ had spoken of the queen, and he had sounded almost worried about something. His face, however, had shown nothing of what had been in his voice, and she almost managed to convince herself that she had imagined it.

Her father quickly adjusted his belt. Hibiscus had been so fascinated with watching Russ that she hadn't noticed the gun attached to the belt at first. She felt her eyes widen. Something really serious must be happening.

She stepped out from the shadows and into the kitchen, her bare feet pressing against the rough wooden floorboards. "What's going on?" she asked.

There was a chill in the small room that wasn't coming from the partially open door. The usually cheery yellow paint on the walls looked darker than what she was accustomed to, and she found herself wondering if the suddenly tense atmosphere was spreading and physically altering the normally comfortable kitchen.

Byrne glanced at her, and she didn't miss the worry in his eyes before he looked back to Link. Her father turned and smiled at her. "Go back to bed, Rosy. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Where are you going?" She was starting to feel scared, and Russ' mumbling to her father about the time wasn't exactly helping.

Automatically her eyes followed the general as he moved closer to the door. The storm outside was still raging, with rain pounding against the house in a desperate attempt to get in. A blast of cold air swung the door open even further, spraying Russ with water droplets before he could nudge it shut again. She felt a shiver run down her spine, but not from the harsh winds that were still slipping into the house. Link was going to leave. It was bad enough that he was going in such horrible weather, but the fact that she didn't even know what was going on yet made his departure much more alarming.

"You two look after each other while I'm gone. I'll be back," Link repeated. "Promise." Then he winked at her. There it was; their special single that everything was alright.

She felt a tenseness in her shoulders that she hadn't even realized was there ease, if only slightly. "Ok."

The door was opened again, this time by Russ' hands instead of the wind. A large, heavy looking van was parked just beyond the porch, its engine still running and its bright headlights cutting a path for them through the darkness. Past the thick streams of rain that fell around it, Hibiscus caught sight of the Triforce etched into the side of the van, its golden color standing out brightly against the black that covered the rest of the vehicle. It was a Hylian military van, and despite the fact that Hibiscus knew she should have expected it, she felt some of her earlier alarm return. It was one thing to see such cars flying far overhead, patrolling Hyrule and keeping a protective eye on its people, but to see one up close, right next to her house, gave everything an almost surreal feeling. She watched her father follow Russ out of the house and silently wondered if he really would be alright. She held on to the image of him giving her his signal. He wouldn't tell her everything was fine if it wasn't... right?

The door was closed with a heavy thud, and Hibiscus felt suddenly small. The room seemed so much bigger with just her and Byrne in it. Her dark eyes turned to her friend, studying his tense posture.

"Do you know what's going on?" she asked him as the roar of the van's engine pierced through the storm.

"I think... a Gerudo just gave birth to a boy."

Hibiscus felt her eyes widen, and all the color drained from her face. "Is it... Is it Ganondorf?"

"That's what they're going to try and find out," Byrne answered, still staring at the door even though the sound of the van had faded long ago.

"What will they do if he is?" she whispered.

Byrne looked at her, his eyes wide with something she had never seen in him before. Fear. "I don't know," he answered. "I don't think even Link knows yet."

Knowing that they wouldn't be able to get to sleep, they both sat at the kitchen table in their pajamas. At one point Hibiscus brewed them both some tea, to chase off the last remnants of any tiredness they were feeling.

"You were around when Ganondorf was still in power, right?" Hibiscus asked finally. "...What was it like?"

Byrne took a sip of his tea, the small cup looking ridiculous in his large hand. "Scary."

Another moment of silence fell, and once again Hibiscus broke it after a pause. "I thought there wasn't supposed to be a boy for a hundred years yet."

"Well... I think that's what we were all _hoping_. But we need to remember that Ganondorf was a lot older than a hundred years, and the Gerudo had been hiding out on different islands until he showed up... If you think about it, this baby was long overdue."

Hibiscus sighed as she considered this. "When do you think he'll be back?"

Byrne shrugged. Silence fell again. Hibiscus didn't bother to break it this time.

They sat at the kitchen, waiting patiently for the sounds of the van to return, until the first few rays of morning light broke through the thinning clouds. They glanced at each other and then trooped back upstairs to get dressed before beginning the morning chores.

A light drizzle of rain was still falling as Hibiscus headed towards the fields to make sure their crops were alright. Byrne walked alongside her for a while until they parted ways, she taking the path to the fields and he taking the path to the barn.

Climbing over the fence that kept the animals from straying into their vegetable gardens, she planted her feet against the thin wood and sat at the very top of the fence posts. With a scrupulous scan of the large patch of land that spread out before her, Hibiscus surveyed the small tufts of plants that were climbing their way out of the dirt. A few of the younger plants looked a bit crumpled, their leaves torn a bit from the storm, but nothing looked too serious.

With a satisfied nod she checked one more time for weeds and then headed back to the barn. The animals were already out, roaming through the meadow with content expressions in their large eyes. A few cuccos picked at the ground near her feet, plucking out bugs that had been flooded out of the ground from the night's rain. Byrne emerged from the barn, his arms laden with a large crate of eggs.

"Breakfast?" Hibiscus asked eagerly, eyeing the eggs.

"We're supposed to package most of these for selling..." Byrne began hesitantly. Then a grin began to form on his face. "But I don't think Link would notice if we were just a few short."

Breakfast started and ended, and neither mentioned what was on their minds as the dishes were cleared. They didn't have to. Hibiscus could tell from Byrne's face that he was thinking the same exact thing that she was, and she imagined that her expression didn't look much different from the worry lines that furrowed her friend's brow. Both had their thoughts on Link, and on what, exactly, might be happening in the palace.

They stood out on the porch for the rest of the morning, staring at the sky and keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of an approaching car. Noon came, but the bright, blue sky remained empty.

"You don't think they'll just kill him, do you?" Hibiscus asked as the sun beat down heavily onto their heads as they leaned against the porch railing. "The baby, I mean."

Byrne tilted his head as he thought about it. "It's a possibility. There's a lot of people who would be all for it."

Hibiscus felt her shoulders slump. "Hylians, you mean."

"Not just Hylians."

She looked at him, both of her slender eyebrows disappearing behind brown bangs. "Really?"

"It's a complicated situation. Some Gerudo feel that they'd be risking the peace with Zelda if they insisted the boy remain alive. They might just kill him so they don't risk starting another war. And then, there's others who don't want to go against their tradition, and would fight to keep him alive. They won't pay much attention to the Gerudo council if the vote goes against what they want."

"That sounds like..." Hibiscus drifted off. It sounded like the brewing of a civil war between the Gerudo people. "He could be dead already then."

Byrne gave another shrug. "It depends on who got their hands on him first."

"...Do you think Dad needs our help?" Hibiscus asked, turning to face Byrne with a determined look in her eyes.

Byrne smiled at the sudden resemblance to Link that she bore. "I'm sure he's fine," he said, but even he could hear the doubt in his voice. Feeling like they needed a distraction, he straightened. "Come on. I want to show you something."

"What?"

He didn't answer her, and so she followed him off the porch and down the path that led to the main, cobblestoned road. "Where are we going?" she pushed, but he still didn't answer. She glared at him when all he did was grin at her.

"You'll see!"

They reached the train tracks and then promptly turned away from the city. After spending a good few minutes of walking at a very brisk pace, they reached a part of the tracks that ran underground.

"We're going down there?" Hibiscus asked uncertainly.

"Watch your step!" Byrne answered, already ducking into the tunnel.

Hibiscus glanced in back of her, back towards the farm, and then gave a frustrated groan before following. The tunnel was short, and because of that there was plenty of light coming in from both sides. Stone walls and a ceiling of the same material surrounded them, and the smell of dirt and stale water wafted past them as they walked.

Byrne stopped about halfway into the tunnel, and as Hibiscus quickly ran to catch up to him she spotted a large, almost wagon-like object sitting on the ground just to the side of the tracks.

"What is that?" she asked as she approached it.

"It's a train! Well, sort of. I built it myself."

"You built this?" Hibiscus breathed out in awe.

"Cool, right?"

Hibiscus raised an eyebrow at him. "I was thinking more along the lines of dorky, but whatever floats your boat."

"Haha," he said dryly before climbing behind the thing, which, as Hibiscus examined it more closely, still looked more like a wagon than a train. It had wheels like a train's, but was completely open on the top, leaving the insides visible from the outside. Stepping a bit closer, Hibiscus peered over the walls of the wagon and peered inside, spotting two small chairs welded onto it and a series of complicated levers protruding from the front wall, standing in easy reach of the front most chair.

With a few grunts Byrne pushed the car onto the tracks; he tugged at it a few times until the wheels locked onto the metal, securing itself to the train tracks with a few satisfying clicks. "What do you say?" he asked as he ran back to the front and pulled aside one of the side walls, revealing a small step to help one climb up. "Want to go for a ride?"

She grinned at him.

As Hibiscus settled into the second chair, she watched Byrne's entire face light up while he pulled at a few of the levers. She couldn't help but smile herself at the pure happiness that was on her friend's face. He only ever became this happy when he was talking about trains, but now that he was actually sitting in one that joy had reached an entirely new and fascinating level.

"Ready?" he asked, glancing over his shoulder at the girl behind him.

"Sure," Hibiscus said nervously, clutching onto her chair's armrests tightly as the wagon underneath her began to vibrate.

Byrne gave one of the larger levers a forceful shove, and then they were moving. Their progress out of the tunnel was slow at first, but the wagon cautiously began to gain more speed so that by the time they were back outside the wind was tugging harshly at Hibiscus' long braid, and the scenery around them was just a blur.

"This thing is fast!" Hibiscus shouted over the rumble of the machine at her feet and the wind above her head.

"It can even go faster if it had to!" Byrne said with a laugh.

"This is good for now!" Hibiscus called out quickly.

It took her a few minutes, but as the meadow waved at her from both sides, and the sun shone down on her face, she began to relax. "This is sort of fun!"

Byrne grinned back at her.

"How come you never told me about this thing?"

"It never came up," Byrne replied casually.

Hibiscus stared at him with an incredulous expression. "Of course it never came up! You never mentioned it! What, do I have to ask you if you're building anything random myself? And I could've helped you with it, you _know_ I'm good with electronics!"

She rolled her eyes when Byrne let out a quiet chuckle. A small sliver of hurt wormed its way into her gut, and she couldn't quite shake it away. Did _everyone_ here think she didn't do anything?

Sensing the cloud of gloom that was growing over her again, Byrne quickly continued. "Link doesn't know either. It just..."

"Never came up," Hibiscus finished for him, smiling despite herself.

As the tracks began to turn Byrne slowed the wagon a bit, so that they wouldn't go flying off the tracks from taking the turn too fast. A large forest loomed up at them around the bend, and Byrne quickly pulled a few more levers. Just before they entered the woods the wagon came to a stop. Large frogs croaked out at them, but remained hidden behind the thick line of dark trees and bushes.

Hibiscus leaned over Byrne and peered curiously at the forest, her bangs frozen at odd angles around her head from having been struck by such strong winds for so long.

"I've never been this close to the forest before," she said. "Can we check it out?"

But Byrne had already flipped a few switches, and the wagon began to move backwards in the direction they had just come from. "Link would kill me if he found out I took you in _there_."

With an annoyed grunt she sat back down. "I don't get it. What's with him and that forest?"

"It's not safe," Byrne commented, but he didn't say anything more.

As the wind now rushed at her back, pushing her hair the other way, Hibiscus began to feel a hint of her anger from the other day returning. "But what's in there?" she pressed.

"Ghosts."

Hibiscus honestly hadn't been expecting even an answer, never mind the one she had just gotten. "Ghosts?" she repeated dubiously. "Are you serious?" She laughed when he nodded. "That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard! Ghosts aren't even possible." She waited a bit for him to ask why, but when she didn't get the signal to continue she pressed on on her own. "The fact that they can go through things implies they have no mass, but then people say they can throw things, which implies they _do_ have mass... it's just not possible!"

Her nose wrinkled in annoyance when he didn't respond. She hadn't gone through that whole lecture just to be ignored. Still stewing, she slumped into the back of her chair. What was wrong with Byrne, anyway? Or, even more pertinent to the situation, what was wrong with Link? If he didn't want her going in there then he should just say so instead of making up some childish story. Chewing on the inside of her lip, she let her frustration grow. Was it that he didn't trust her? Was that why he wasn't allowing her in there? A glare worked its way onto her face as she stared at the back of Byrne's head.

"You know, we don't have to do whatever Dad says just because he says so," she snapped. When he still didn't say anything she leaned forward and yanked at the lever she had seen him use before for the brakes.

"Hey!" Byrne shouted in a scolding tone.

"Come on, let's go check it out!"

They weren't that far from the forest yet, and before Byrne could start the wagon train again she scrambled from her seat and climbed out.

"Hibiscus! Don't go in there!" Byrne called after her as she marched towards the forest.

She turned and folded her arms in front of her. "Oh come on, Byrne! It's the middle of the day, anyway!"

"Hibiscus!" Byrne protested, but the young girl merely stuck her tongue out at him playfully before turning again and continuing her walk. _  
_

A moment later the wagon was rolling alongside her, keeping up with her pace while Byrne stared over at her with pleading eyes. "You really want to go in there?" he asked in surprise.

"Why not?"

"Fine," he said with a growl.

She tried to keep her surprise out of her voice. "Really?"

"But let's at least take the train. Just in case we need to back out fast. And if I say we need to go, then you don't argue."

Hibiscus paused and considered this before nodding. "Fine."

An instant later she was settled back into her seat with a smug expression, and the wagon train was rolling slowly towards the entrance to the forest.

Hibiscus tightened her grip on the armrests as the first few shadows of trees fell over them. _"__I'd like to see a lazy person do this!"_ she thought to herself excitedly.

* * *

**Thanks so much for reading! I hope you all have a great week!**


	4. No News is Good News, Right?

**As always, a big thanks to those who have favorite-ed and followed so far, and another big thanks to Shut Up I'm Evil, VioletInc, and Deflow for reviewing! You people make me ridiculously happy!**

**Shut Up I'm Evil: How have I not seen this before!? Thanks!**

**VioletInc: Thank you very much :-) But it's only this good so far because of you, awesome beta-reader-sensei! ^_^**

**Deflow: Byrne and Hibiscus actually have a conversation about that whole 100 years thing somewhere in chapter three. The basic summary of that is that Ganondorf has been around for a lot longer than 100 years (he was sealed away for a very long time by the Master Sword after Wind Waker, and then when he was released in the beginning of Stupid Courage he ruled over New Hyrule for over a century), and the Gerudo were around for that entire time. So, really, a boy could've been born much earlier. I'm fairly certain that the rule is a boy is born every century, and not a century after the death of the previous male... I could be wrong, and please correct me if I am, but I'm pretty sure that was how it was worded in Ocarina of Time. Anyways, thanks again for your review; I definitely agree with you about the whole parenting thing!**

**On to Chapter Four!**

* * *

Chapter 4

No News is Good News... Right?

Byrne refused to stop the wagon train to let Hibiscus wander around on foot, despite her constant protests (most of which were about the colorful flowers they passed that she wanted to use to decorate the kitchen). Now she was sitting cross legged in her chair and entertaining herself by looking for ghosts, sarcastically, accusing every breeze of being a spirit for the purposes of making fun of Byrne.

She had always seen him as being quite the rational person, and the fact that he actually believed in ghosts completely baffled her. Byrne grew increasingly more nervous the deeper they rolled into the forest, jumping at every little sound. Hibiscus couldn't see what he saw though; she didn't have his memories of that place. Instead all she saw was sunlight beaming down at them through the thick green leaves, and chipmunks squeaking at them in surprise through the bushes.

In fact, the further in they went the more relaxed she began to feel. A light breeze that had been intermittent before was now constantly swirling around her and playing with her bangs, almost as if it were sentient and trying to greet her. It remained even when the wagon train pulled to a stop, and it was because of that that it took Hibiscus a moment longer than it should have to notice that they were no longer moving.

"What's up?" she asked, sitting up.

"It's time to head back," Byrne said as he shifted in his seat. There was a sudden tenseness in his posture that made the veins in his neck stand out, and Hibiscus could easily see his pulse throbbing much faster than usual against his skin.

She narrowed her eyes at him suspiciously. "Why? Are we getting close to something?" Her face became suddenly alight with an almost evil looking grin.

If it was at all possible, Byrne stiffened even more. "No..."

"Byrne, I know when you're lying," she scolded. "Everyone knows when you're lying, it's really obvious." She stood and leaned over the edge of the front of the wagon, her dark sienna eyes sweeping over the trees around them before darting back to her friend to search his face with just as much scrutiny. "What are we close to?"

"Sheesh, Hibiscus, you're going to fall out," Byrne exclaimed, quickly grabbing her by the collar of her blouse to hold her steady.

She rolled her eyes before returning to her scan of the beautiful scene that lay before them, until finally, something dark grey caught her eye. Just beyond the thick foliage, Hibiscus managed to make out what looked to be a stone wall. "Is that a building?" she asked in awe.

Behind her, Byrne gave a sigh. "Maybe..."

"Let's check it out!"

"We don't need to, I already know what it is," Byrne snapped. It was completely the wrong thing to say to her, however.

"Then what is it?" Hibiscus asked, pulling away from the wagon's barrier to look him in the eyes.

"Uh... a temple."

"A temple?" Hibiscus repeated excitedly, turning around once again to look at what little of the wall she could see. "In the middle of the woods? Oh please, Byrne, I have to see it!" The wind around her seemed to pick up slightly, almost as if it were trying to agree with her.

"No," Byrne replied, sounding shocked that she would even suggest it. "It's bad enough I brought you this far. We're going back."

"But-"

Byrne held up a hand. "You agreed to not argue if I said we needed to go."

Hibiscus took a moment to try and find a loophole from that particular contract she had verbally signed. Nothing came to her and so she heaved a miserable sigh before plopping back down in her chair. The wagon slowly began to roll backwards, and Hibiscus made sure that she remained absolutely silent the entire way back to the tunnel. She had decided that she wasn't going to talk to Byrne at all until she got what she wanted. Childish, perhaps, but it made her feel better.

"I'll meet you back at the house," Byrne said after they climbed out. The tunnel where he kept his train hidden was even darker now that the sun was lower. "The animals still need to be brought in."

Knowing it was her turn for that, Hibiscus stalked out of the tunnel without a word. At the barn, the animals seemed to already know that it was time to return to their stalls. Most were already gathered near the large doors, waiting for someone to open them. Worming her way through the large herd of cows, cuccos, and horses, Hibiscus scrambled to the doors and swung them open. They all casually walked inside, the sound of hooves hitting dirt transforming into the clip-clops of their hard feet collapsing on the wooden floor of the barn.

As they passed by her, Hibiscus did a mental headcount. All were accounted for; all, that is, except for one.

With an annoyed sigh, Hibiscus set off in search of the troublesome animal. "Every single time," she grumbled to herself. Finally she spotted the young horse (although it wasn't exactly such a hard task; her fur was a bright red, making her look like she was constantly alight in flames, and could be spotted a mile away) and stormed up to it, glaring daggers at the small filly.

"Every single time we go through this!" she snapped at the creature.

The horse looked up at her with wide innocent eyes, as if to say "I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Alright, come on," Hibiscus said, waving towards the barn. "March, missy."

A snort was all she got in response.

"Don't laugh at me, you!" Hibiscus reprimanded, pointing a finger at the horse and holding it just below her nose. She quickly pulled it back when the animal tried to snap at it; its teeth clicked together loudly in the empty air. "Go to the barn!" she ordered, raising her voice slightly.

She groaned when the horse slowly lowered its head and plucked at some grass before looking back up at her, chewing casually. "This is what happens when Dad spoils someone. Look, I don't care how pretty or rare your fur color is! Go. To. The. Barn."

"Hibiscus!" The voice of Byrne floated over to her. "Just get the lead!"

"She never lets me put it on her!" Hibiscus protested, before remembering she wasn't supposed to be talking to him.

Byrne was soon standing beside her, a set of reigns in his hands and a slight smile playing on his lips. "I'll take care of it."

"Fine," Hibiscus muttered before marching to the house. She had already broken her self-imposed rule on not talking to Byrne, so there was no point in going back to it now. Glancing in back of her she noticed the horse seemed to have no problem following Byrne; it was almost as if it had something out for her. She glared at it as it passed her, and the horse gave a whinny, rolling its head towards her happily.

"Lousy creature," she muttered before continuing back to her house.

On her way up the porch steps, she felt herself began to grow giddy. Was her father back yet? There were no lights on inside, but that didn't necessarily mean anything. It was possible he was sitting in the dark, waiting to jump out to try to scare her. Knowing Link, she certainly wouldn't put that idea past him.

She quickly flicked on the lights in the kitchen, but nothing leaped out at her. Her heart sunk in disappointment. "Dad? You here?"

Silence answered her.

With a quiet sigh, she moved towards the pantry to try and find something to cook with. She realized that someone should have probably started dinner earlier; it was usually her father that took care of the cooking, since he really couldn't do all that much on the farm with his right arm barely able to move.

"What are you making?" Byrne asked as he stepped inside and spotted the girl, still staring into the pantry.

"I don't know. What did you have when we were at the city?"

"Uh..." There was a horribly long pause as Byrne tried to remember. "Eggs," he settled on finally, his voice sounding confident enough.

"We had that for breakfast! We have... this stuff." Hibiscus pulled out some carrots and spinach, one eyebrow raised in interest. "We could make something with this, right?"

Byrne shrugged. "Throw it in the pot and see what happens."

"Ok."

The cooking progressed, until soon it wasn't even cooking, but more of just a frantic attempt to make something edible. Hibiscus found herself wishing that she and Byrne had spent more time watching how Link actually made their meals. By the time they were finished, they settled down at the table with mushed up carrots, and a stringy sort of spinach that had been cooked for so long it shared the texture of rubber.

"Tasty stuff," Byrne said wryly, forcing down some of the plants.

"Let's just stick with eggs tomorrow."

Smiles grew on the pair's faces, but soon faded away with a sudden pang of worry. Would Link be gone tomorrow, too?

* * *

Another day passed, and yet another. More and more Hibiscus felt herself forgetting all about the mysterious temple in the woods. Every free moment she had, she had her thoughts on her father and if he was ok. They had yet to receive any word, from either him or even the city. Even the news that was delivered daily seemed to be lacking any important information, filling people's minds instead with advertisements and stories about the upcoming library, or something equally trivial. Nothing was even mentioned about the baby Gerudo boy. It was as if nobody knew about it, not even the journalists.

"I'm going to the city," Hibiscus decided on the third day of no news.

Byrne looked at her, a conflicted expression distorting his face. She knew he wanted to go, too, but somebody had to look after the farm, and she had called the trip first. They had a rule between them, that whoever called it first got to do it. Before that rule had been in place the two had gotten into several rather heated arguments. Then Link, in his infinite wisdom, had knocked their heads together before declaring the rule, in a voice that made it clear to both of them that it was now set in stone. Neither of them dared to go against him; though whether it was more out of fear of getting their heads bashed together again, or merely out of respect, they weren't entirely sure.

"Be careful," he said finally.

Hibiscus wasted no time in saddling up her horse. He seemed just as excited to be leaving as she felt, almost as if even the animals had been concerned about Link's absence; despite the fact that he very rarely tended to the animals, Link always made sure to visit them, to talk to them or feed them apples. She supposed that they were missing their afternoon snacks.

The giant horse below her set off towards the city without any prodding, and very quickly they were flying down the road. As the city loomed up before them, it took a little more convincing than usual to get her horse to slow down. Fortunately he obeyed before they descended upon the crowded streets, or else there would probably have been several people getting trampled over that day.

Hibiscus rode straight towards the palace, continuing down the long roads until she finally reached the large wall that surrounded the palace's grounds. There was only one gate, and it appeared to be shut tight. Two guards, one Hylian and one Gerudo, stood stationed at each side of the gate, each garbed in their very different looking uniforms. The Hylian had the typical garb of the Hylian military, along with a large rifle in his hands and a pistol at his side. The Gerudo had on dark red, puffy, almost silky looking pants, and a vest of the same color that was no doubt bullet proof. Bare arms clutched at a long spear, though there was also the same type of rifle that the Hylian guard had strapped over her shoulders and ready to be grabbed at a moments notice.

Feeling uncertain about the Gerudo at this point, Hibiscus quickly moved her horse towards the Hylian guard.

"Halt!" the man shouted, though he made no move to point his gun at her. Yet. "What brings you to the palace?"

Hibiscus opened her mouth to reply, but suddenly found she wasn't certain on how best to answer. "I need to see my father, he's in there," she said, finally.

"The palace is off limits to everyone at this time," the man replied. "You'll have to try again later. Perhaps in a few days."

Hibiscus squared her shoulders; she hadn't come all this way to be turned away. "Could I at least talk to General Russ then?"

"General Russ is currently indisposed."

"Then... what about Queen Zelda?"

The man let out a short bark of laughter. "If the general is busy, then the queen definitely is!"

Hibiscus glared at him, and was about to say something equally snarky when the Gerudo guard decided to join in on the conversation. "Who is your father?" she asked curiously.

"His name is Link."

Instantly the two guards stiffened and looked at each other. They both turned their faces back onto Hibiscus, each wearing matching expressions of awe.

"That's her," the Gerudo guard whispered loudly. "_His_ daughter."

The Hylian guard quickly took on a more polite tone. "I'm very sorry, ma'am, but the palace really is off limits to everyone right now. But... I'm off duty in a few hours. If I see him I'll let him know you were here."

"As will I," the Gerudo guard quickly chimed in.

"Oh... ok," Hibiscus said, taken aback and feeling just a bit uncomfortable at the awe that was still on their faces; as if she was some great, important person just for being the daughter of Link. "But... you've seen him before, right? He's ok?"

Once again the two guards looked at each other, and the awe was replaced a little by something else. Hibiscus couldn't place it. Nervousness, maybe?

"Of course," the Gerudo finally said in a reassuring tone.

Not feeling reassured at all, Hibiscus nodded and slowly turned her horse around. "Ok." She knew she would never get into the palace anyway, not with the guards there, so she was really just wasting everyone's time... most importantly, she was wasting her own time.

Not feeling defeated yet, however, Hibiscus left for the market square. If anyone knew anything about Link, it would be his best friend Orca. The moment she stepped into Sera's Books and Sundries, she was greeted by the noise of a crying toddler. Following the wailing to the back of the store, and then up the flight of stairs that led to the living area, she soon found Orca hiding out with his son in the nursery. Shades of pastel green jumped out at her as she stepped inside, and above her head a mobile of seagulls clinked together quietly.

"Hey there, Hibiscus!" Orca shouted over his son from where he sat on the carpeted floor. The one year old was perched on the man's knee and being bounced around, though it didn't seem to be helping the little boy calm down at all.

"Where's Beth and Sera?" Hibiscus shouted back.

"Went for a walk. Can't imagine why, can you?"

Hibiscus had to resist the urge to cover her ears.

"He's not feeling well today," Orca explained. "But what brings you here?"

"I wanted to know if you've heard anything from Dad."

"Your dad?" Orca looked up with a troubled frown, and he quickly stood and placed Impal in a playpen. "Let's go outside for a bit."

The sounds of the city were a relief when they stepped onto the store's porch, and both breathed out long sighs.

Orca turned to face Hibiscus, the worry in his eyes still framed by that concerned frown. "So, what's up?"

"He's been at the palace for days now, and nobody's saying anything," Hibiscus said all in one breath, relieved to finally let some of her anxieties spill out.

"The palace?"

Hibiscus felt her shoulders slump. "You didn't know?"

Orca shook his head. "No. Although, there has been some fishy stuff going on up there lately. Increased security and stuff like that... even the guards that know me are acting like they've never seen me before."

Hibiscus stepped closer to Orca so she could whisper at him. "Apparently a Gerudo boy was born recently."

The effect this news had on Orca was immediate. Hibiscus watched with an almost fascination as the man suddenly paled, and then backpedaled a bit so he could lean against the store wall. "What?"

Hibiscus took a breath to repeat herself a little more loudly this time, but Orca quickly raised a hand to stop her.

"Never mind, I heard you. That would explain some things, I guess... and your father went up there?"

"Three days ago."

"And no word? That doesn't sound like him. Must be crazy in there."

"...Do you think he's alright?"

Orca looked at her, the alarm still evident in his face. "Yeah..." he said hesitantly. "I'm sure he's fine. If there's one thing that guy's good at it, it's surviving."

"You don't sound very confident," Hibiscus pointed out.

Orca looked at her with a smile that didn't even come close to reaching his eyes. "I'm sure he's fine."

Before the conversation could continue, the angry voice of Beth reached their ears. "Why are you out here and not with Impal!?"

"Uhoh, now _here's_ trouble," Orca said, forcing a less fearful expression onto his face. "Look, Hibiscus, I'm sure everything's fine. Just go home, ok? If I hear anything you'll be the first I tell. He'll probably be back soon, though, and he wouldn't want you worrying."

Hibiscus watched with annoyance as he slipped back into the store, the voice of his wife following him. Turning she noticed that the woman was still at the other end of the square, but she was marching quite quickly towards them with a furious expression on her face. People practically leaped out of her way as she continued to shout angrily at her husband for being so careless.

Beth didn't even seem to notice Hibiscus as she stormed past her and into the store, but Sera, who was following just a short distance behind her daughter, did. "Hello there, dearie! What brings you here?"

A sudden feeling of failure washed over her, forcing her throat to tighten and her voice to come out as a mere whisper. "Just came to visit Orca," she said, turning her gaze away from the shop's closed door to the grey haired woman climbing up the porch steps. Orca had been her last hope, and he hadn't even known that Link was at the palace. She tried to imagine herself returning home with nothing to report back to Byrne. The mere thought of spending even one more day just sitting in the sickening worry that had plagued them the past few days was almost too much to bear.

Sera frowned at her, concern crinkling her aging face. "Is everything alright?"

She wanted to say no, that everything was most certainly _not_ alright. But then, just as quickly as she thought up the response, another idea came into her mind. It was an insane idea, and she very nearly laughed out loud at it, especially when she pictured Byrne's expression once she told him about it. But it refused to leave her alone, and the more she considered it the more she realized that she was actually going to try it.

"Hibiscus?" Sera asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Hibiscus said brightly, the uncomfortable tightness in her throat already gone. "I really should be getting back. See you, Sera!"

"Well...you're certainly a strange little thing." Sera huffed as Hibiscus raced off, back towards her horse.

Hibiscus didn't waste any more time in the city. She needed to get back to the farm, back to the secret tunnel where Byrne kept his wagon train. On the way out of the city she glanced towards the train tracks that ran underground. The tracks that led straight to the palace. The two guards that were there looked just as bored as the others she had seen, and Hibiscus was hoping they would stay that way. Because boredom could slow down reactions, and if she was going to be successful in riding right into the palace, she was going to have to get past them before they could really do anything about her.

She recalled that Byrne had said his train could go even faster if it needed to, and the speed he had had it at before had been rather fast. A grin grew on her face as she galloped back home. She could do it. She knew she could. She could go into the palace and find her father herself.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! Have a great week, everyone!**


	5. Getting a Job

**Sorry for the late update this week, folks! I was super busy yesterday and couldn't get to my computer at all. **

**Thanks to Fooler, Deflow, and VioletInc for reviewing!**

**Fooler and Deflow: Lol! You folks crack me up!**

**VioletInc: All great questions which will now be answered in the next chapter ;-)**

**To chapter five!**

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Chapter 5

Getting a Job

It was late afternoon by the time Hibiscus arrived back at the farm. She kept her horse stationary on the dirt path that led to the barn, watching as Byrne moved about the pasture, shepherding in a few animals towards the large, brown building. The red filly pranced around him happily, not even giving him any trouble as he pointed it towards the barn.

"What is it with that one?" she asked quietly. Below her, her horse gave an annoyed snort, and she glanced down at it with a sympathetic smirk. "She giving you trouble, too, huh boy?" She reached down and patted him over his neck, running her fingers through his grey fur.

During her ride back, she had slowly come to the realization that she really shouldn't tell Byrne about her plan to sneak into the palace. He wouldn't let her go. It was one thing to allow her to go into the city by herself, where the guards there were used to seeing strangers and didn't care. But the palace was a whole different world, and if she were caught there'd be no telling what might happen. So no, she couldn't tell Byrne.

There was really only one option left to her, and as she marched her horse towards the barn, she decided that she would take what she could get. She was going to sneak out in the middle of the night, and steal Byrne's train. She had watched him at the controls during their trip into the forest, and was fairly certain she could replicate the required actions. Now all she had to do was figure out the best path. Since she was going to be sneaking around Byrne, she couldn't take the most straight forward route, as that would take her right past the farm, and Byrne would surely hear the train.

"I'll have to go through the forest," she thought to herself. Nodding to herself, she slid off her saddle and led her horse to his stall.

"Anything?" Byrne asked, looking up from the fresh hay he was scattering in front of a few of the animals that needed their food bins refilled.

"Nothing," Hibiscus replied bitterly. "Orca didn't even know he had left."

Byrne frowned, bushy eyebrows framing the obvious spark of worry in his grey eyes. "We'll probably hear something _soon_."

"Yeah. Probably."

The look that they exchanged quickly told them what they both already knew. Neither of them believed what they had said.

* * *

It felt like Byrne was taking forever to go to sleep; the floorboards beneath her were constantly creaking as the large man wandered about the house. She had no idea what he was doing, but she wished he would just leave it for the next day and go to bed already. Finally, after she very nearly drifted off to sleep several times, Byrne lumbered up the stairs and into his own room. She heard the door close behind him, and then immediately sprung out of bed, still fully clothed.

She waited silently for a few more minutes, until the sound of soft snoring reached her ears. With a smile, Hibiscus quickly slipped from her room and crept down the stairs. It was rare instances such as these that she was incredibly grateful she was so skinny. She doubted she would be able to be this quiet if she had more weight to her.

Outside it was warm, but not uncomfortably so. In fact, as she set off across the farm and through the songs of crickets, she very nearly turned back to grab a sweater. But she didn't; going back meant risking waking up Byrne, and sneaking out the first time had been suspenseful enough for her. Crossing her arms in front of her to try and trap some heat, she continued on. As soon as she reached the tunnel she reached down and fumbled with a small flashlight that she had strapped to her belt before finally finding the switch and flicking it on. The light sprung away from her, illuminating the rocky walls that surrounded her. Inside the tunnel the moonlight barely managed to make it in, and as she stepped through the shallow puddles on the ground she was glad she had remembered to bring a light with her.

The wagon was right where it had been before, and she wasted no time in grabbing it and pushing it towards the tracks. It wasn't as easy as Byrne had made it look, but eventually, after much sweating and with most of her hair breaking free from its braid, she managed to get it onto the tracks. She kicked at the wheels a few times until she heard the same clicks that Byrne had gotten, and then she climbed inside.

"Ok..." she said breathlessly, twisting slightly so that her light shone over the many levers. "Here we go."

She gripped one tightly and then pushed it forward. With a lurch, the wagon set off down the tracks. It didn't feel nearly as smooth as it had under Byrne's steering, but it was moving and that was all Hibiscus really cared about. If she ended up breaking the darn thing she could always make it up to Byrne later.

In no time at all she reached the forest once again. Though she knew nothing had changed since her last visit, it somehow felt different. Maybe it was the darkness, or the eery quiet that came with most of the cute, daytime animals being asleep, or maybe it was the fact that Byrne wasn't with her this time, but she no longer had a feeling of excitement and fun that she had had the last time. It felt scary, and suddenly Hibiscus realized Byrne hadn't been being so ridiculous after all. She found herself becoming more jumpy than the man had been, nearly leaping out of her seat every time a frog croaked or a bat flew overhead.

The trees flew past in a continuous blur, and Hibiscus began to worry that maybe she was going a bit too fast. She slowed down just in time to spot a branch in the tracks approaching.

_"Had that been there before?"_ she wondered. She tried to remember the trip with Byrne, but couldn't seem to recall the tracks branching off or even turning all that much. Then again, she really hadn't been paying attention; she had been far too busy looking for ghosts.

The train slowed even more, stopping just before where the tracks split into two separate directions. "Which way?" she whispered.

A light breeze blew through the trees, pushing against her side. Deciding she really had no better way to decide, she set off down the branch that the wind was pushing her towards. Feeling utterly ridiculous - because if she got lost out here and Byrne had to find her, it would be the worst thing in the world - she kept her eyes peeled for any sign that the tracks were about to go underground; only then would she know she was headed towards the palace.

The tracks remained stubbornly above ground, however, and just as she was about to turn back and try the other way she spotted a large wall looming up before her. "The temple!" she exclaimed excitedly. It wasn't the right way, but at least she knew where she was now. She slowed again and pulled the train to a stop.

The tracks led straight to the wall before quickly ducking down underneath it, into an underground tunnel that she assumed led to the temple's station. The wall itself was covered with thick roots and vines, and it looked like most of the ground around it had been pushed back rather aggressively by the plants. It was almost as if the roots themselves were working to clear the temple from being underground. She let her eyes trail up along one of the roots, until she reached the roof of the building. It was completely flat, and covered with grass. Sitting directly on top of it was the largest and oldest tree she had ever seen. Its branches sprawled above her, the large leaves blocking any sight of the sky.

"Wow," she blurted out loudly, startling a few birds.

They squawked at her angrily as they took off from the branches they had been nesting in, and Hibiscus quickly put a hand over her mouth. A part of her was tempted to go further forward, and explore the temple, but she reminded herself that she had yet to find her father. With another, final glance at the tree, she pulled back on the train's lever.

As it began to scoot backwards ever so slowly, an angry scream burst out from somewhere behind her. With a startled scream of her own, Hibiscus pulled on the brakes and craned around in her chair. The flashlight shook in her hands as she tore it from her belt and shone it around the forest, the narrow beam of light illuminating motionless bushes and tree trunks. Silence once again fell, and so, with a little more uncertainty this time, she started the train back again.

Before the wheels could gain any speed at all, the scream returned. It sounded much closer than before, almost as if its owner was floating right next to her ear. Too panicked to think straight, Hibiscus pushed the lever the other way. The train shot forward, slipping into the tunnel that led under the temple. Hibiscus was too busy looking in back of her to find the source of the scream that she barely noticed where she was going.

It wasn't until she crashed into something that she quickly pulled back on the lever and hit the brakes. Panting heavily, she stood up and studied the thing she had hit. It was another wagon type object, though not nearly as sophisticated as what Byrne had made. It had no barrier around it to keep people from falling out, and there were no levers to be seen; instead it appeared that it was powered manually, for in the center of it lay some sort of strange pulley system that looked like it required someone to push and pull at in order for the wheels to move.

Wondering who else could possibly be in here, and not too eager to go back out into the forest, Hibiscus shakily climbed out. Her flashlight wasn't really needed in here, as there were several torches lit along the stone walls of the temple. Their light bounced around a large room, which was completely empty except for the two wagons. With a quick glance around her, she spotted an open door not too far off, and she could just make out the sounds of someone muttering in there. The voice sounded familiar to her, and made her think of her late night study sessions with some of her classmates. Encouraged by that, she quickly headed towards the room.

She didn't make it quite halfway before the owner of the voice came marching out of the room himself, looking annoyed about something. Hibiscus immediately recognized him. "Professor Sturgeon!"

The man jumped a few inches into the air before glaring at her. "You dratted hooligan! Don't sneak up on people like that, you could've killed me!"

"What are you doing here?" Hibiscus asked curiously, ignoring his tantrum; after having been in several of his classes, she was quite used to them.

"I'm checking out the sound of something crashing out here."

"Oh, uh... that was probably me..." Hibiscus pointed sheepishly to her own train.

"Oh. I see. This is why we shouldn't let teenagers drive! Wait a minute, you're not old enough to drive, anyway!"

"Professor, what are you doing here? I mean, here here. In the temple."

The man blinked at her from underneath his spectacles before crossing his arms over his chest. "Well I could ask you the same thing, now couldn't I?"

"I... uh..."

"I'm doing research!" the man gushed, too excited about whatever his research was to really care what Hibiscus was doing there.

"On what?"

"Ghosts!"

Hibiscus could easily imagine the suddenly smug grin on Byrne's face. "I didn't know you believed in ghosts, Professor."

"Well of course I do! It's hard not to, once you see them."

"You've _seen_ one?" Hibiscus asked in awe.

"A long time ago, yes, yes. I think there's something in this temple that keeps them here. Maybe even attracts them, so they never leave the forest! Well, technically, it's a shared theory, but..." Sturgeon's face fell a bit. "Well, the person who came up with the idea decided to go running off on some useless archaeological expedition, so I thought I'd prove her right on my own. She's impossible to work with anyway!"

"How are you doing that?" Hibiscus asked, her own curiosity getting the better of her.

Sturgeon stroked at his chin. "Hmm, I really shouldn't tell you, but..." He suddenly pointed at her. "You can't tell anyone else!"

"I promise!"

"No, not good enough... I'll make you my research assistant. That way, you can't tell, otherwise you'll be ruining your own research. Ha!" Feeling rather proud of himself for figuring out this cunning plan, Sturgeon quickly gestured her closer and began to walk back towards the room he had come from. "See this?" he asked, stopping suddenly just before the room and pulling out a compass. "Look at how it swings around like that. Not normal, right?"

Hibiscus nodded. "What's making it do that?"

"No idea. That's what we're here to find out! _Something_ in here is messing with the electrical fields, and I aim to find out what! Now look, see if I step over here, see! It swings even more!"

"So that's how you're tracking down whatever's causing this? The closer you are the crazier it gets?"

Sturgeon beamed with pride at her. "Exactly, assistant! So far, it seems to be the most insane in this room, though why I have no idea. There's nothing in there anymore."

"Anymore?"

"Well the Light Bow used to be kept hidden here, but now it's completely empty."

"Really? The Light Bow?" Hibiscus felt a chill sweep over her. That meant her father had come here once, fourteen years ago. She looked about her again, feeling more reverence for the quiet walls.

"Come on, assistant!" Sturgeon called from inside the other room.

"I can't really stay much longer though," Hibiscus called back as she stepped through the open doorway. More torches revealed a much smaller room; in the very center was an altar of some sort, and behind that, on the far wall, was a compartment of sorts that looked as if it had been hidden away at one point. Inside the smallish, once hidden room was a large, open, completely empty wooden chest, and a middle-aged man standing next to the chest with a kind expression on his face.

"Who's that?" Hibiscus asked Sturgeon shyly, noticing that he had yet to say anything and was constantly staring at her. His round eyes hadn't even blinked once since she noticed him.

"Who's who?" Sturgeon asked distractedly as he tapped at his compass, which was moving around so fast it looked like the needle might go flying off at any moment.

"Him," Hibiscus insisted, pointing towards the tall man. He had short, graying brown hair, and dark eyes that _still_ hadn't blinked and were _still_ staring at her.

Sturgeon finally looked up with a confused frown before glaring in the direction she was pointing. "I don't see anyone!" he snapped. "There's no one else here, and if this is a prank on your first day on the job you can consider yourself fired right now! And I'll not be writing you a good reference letter either!"

"But, Professor-"

Suddenly the staring man opened his mouth, and quickly interrupted her with a loud voice that echoed strangely about the room. "Only you can see me, little one."

Now it was Hibiscus' turn to stare. "Why's that?" she asked finally.

"Why's what!?" Sturgeon asked in annoyance.

"You seriously didn't hear that!?"

"No! Good grief, if I had known having an assistant would be this annoying I would have never offered in the first place. Now be quiet, I'm trying to think!"

The staring man had waited patiently for Sturgeon to finish before answering Hibiscus' question. "You are the only one that can hear or see me. It is quite common for spirits such as me to only be seen by blood relatives."

"Oh." Hibiscus wasn't even aware that she had said anything, never mind something as simple as what her brain had blurted out.

He was a ghost. Byrne had been right. _Link_ had been right. It was now her turn to stare at the man dressed in clothes that had gone out of style decades ago. She felt a cold chill settle on her back, refusing to leave just as her brain refused to think any coherent thought besides to remind her that what she was seeing was impossible.

_"Impossible! He can't be real! I must be going crazy. That must be it."_

The thought of going insane didn't help to make her feel better. Almost immediately she began to think up a suitable argument in support of her own sanity, all the while conveniently ignoring the fact that she was currently holding a debate with herself.

_"Professor Sturgeon's compass is the most wild in here... maybe that's because the ghost is here?"_

The thought that there was actually proof a ghost was currently standing in front of her didn't help to make her feel better either.

"Are you alright?" the ghost asked, his voice once again throwing itself around the room.

She didn't feel as if she were connected to her legs, but she forced herself to take a few unsteady steps closer. Soon she was standing directly in front of him, and she cautiously reached out a hand. Her fingers passed straight through the man's arm. She could feel the blood draining from her face, and wasn't even aware of her hand as it fell back to her side, shaking ever so slightly.

"Who are you?" she whispered, unable to make her voice any louder.

The staring man smiled gently. "I am descended from the Hero of Winds. I am your great-great-grandfather."

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**Thanks for reading!**


	6. Catching Up With Family

**Happy Tuesday, everyone! I'm on doggie-sitting duty today, because this little old dog my folks adopted doesn't seem to understand yet that it's not cool to pee on the carpets.**

**Anyway, here's chapter 6!**

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Chapter 6

Catching up with Family

Hibiscus had no idea how long she stared at the man. _"No, not a man,"_ she reprimanded herself, recalling how easily her hand had gone through the ghost's arm. _"I'm going crazy, right? This is insane..."_

He didn't seem to mind the long scrutiny, however, and she imagined that he had been a ghost for a very long time and had probably learned to not notice time all that much anymore. All the same, she eventually began to realize she was being rude, so she quickly looked away for a moment, to where Sturgeon was standing near the altar, muttering under his breath.

"I'll be back!" Sturgeon said suddenly. "I have to get something from my train."

"Ok," she murmured, barely registering the words he had just said to her.

As he left, she heard him grumble something about lousy research assistants who didn't do a single thing. Then he disappeared outside the room, and Hibiscus turned back to look at the ghost. Back at her great-great-grandfather.

"Dad said I was related to the Hero of Winds, but I guess I never really thought much about it until now..." she said quietly. "I mean, he told me this crazy story about meeting our lots-of-greats grandmother, but..."

"Aryll," the ghost supplied, nodding sagely.

"Good grief. So he was telling the truth?"

"Where is your father?" the ghost asked, glancing around the room as if expecting Link to suddenly appear. "I would like to see more of my family."

"Actually, I think you did see him already. I mean, if you were here when he got the bow, anyway."

A deep frown began to crawl across the ghost's face, and his eyes narrowed.

Hibiscus took a step back from the angry glint that suddenly appeared in the man's eyes. "What's wrong?"

"I saw him. But he did not see me. He is not-"

"Oh, right." Hibiscus waved a hand through the air dismissively. "He's not blood related, so I guess he wouldn't see you. He sort of adopted me after my mother died when I was still a baby."

Almost instantly the smile returned to the older man's face, and his eyes widened harmlessly. "I see. I am sorry to hear of your mother's fate."

Hibiscus looked down at her feet. "I don't remember her. But Dad told me everything about her, so I feel like I know her anyway." She looked back up, suddenly feeling as if she wasn't making any sense. However the understanding crinkle around the ghost's eyes put her fears aside.

"I understand. And I am glad to hear that your father is alive and well. Last I saw him, he..." Something in the air around the ghost shifted as he rolled his shoulders. "But I am glad."

Hibiscus really didn't want to think about her father at this point; her mind felt confused enough as it was without reminding herself about her concern for her only parent. "Why are you here? I mean... aren't ghosts supposed to, I don't know, do something..." The longer Hibiscus spoke the quieter her voice became. She realized she had no idea what ghosts were supposed to be like, or if they were meant to do anything at all except sit around like this one appeared to be doing.

The man's smile faltered slightly. "Ah. Something keeps us all trapped here. Allow me to explain."

Hibiscus nodded silently and then, sensing it was going to be quite the story, sat down cross-legged in front of him. The man quickly joined her on the floor, letting his hands flop into his lap before beginning.

"When Ganondorf first attacked these lands with his army of Gerudo, I led the counter. I was in charge of this land's only defense... but there were far too many, Ganondorf was far too powerful, and we were far too unprepared. We failed. _I_ failed. Most of my troops were killed that night, along with myself."

"So... that scream I heard outside, that came from the others? The other ghosts?"

"They were the first of Ganondorf's murders, yes. I do hope they didn't scare you too much. When I told them you may be able to help us, I fear they got a little... too excited. When they sensed you were about to leave without entering the temple, they got very much too excited. They would never hurt you though, so have no fear when you leave here again."

"You... want me to help you? I don't know anything about ghosts!"

The man chuckled. "The ironic bit is, neither do I!"

Hibiscus stared at him suspiciously, not entirely certain she believed that. "You mentioned something was keeping you trapped here. What is it?"

He sighed tiredly. "It is our own emotions. The others are too angry to let go; they grieve for their lost lives, for the children that grew old and passed on without them. They refuse to let go."

"You, too?"

The man shook his head. "I left my children and grandchildren knowing they could take care of themselves, and that they would take care of each other. I miss them, but not enough that I could not let go if I wanted to."

"So then why-"

"I was their general, dear one. I am _still_ their leader. I will not abandon them now, not when they are so lost."

Hibiscus felt a jolt of admiration for the man sitting across from her. He had lived like this for so many years, all because he wouldn't give up on his troops. She wondered if she would have done the same thing; it sounded awful to be trapped in the same place for so long, never talking to anyone else.

The man looked into her eyes, and Hibiscus wished that his looked more familiar; they were almost exactly the same color and shape as her own eyes, but the courage and self-assuredness reflected in her great-great-grandfather's dark orbs was not something she had ever seen when she looked in the mirror.

"For most of the time, I kept them all here, in the forest, guarding the Light Bow. It gave them something to do, and kept the weapon safe from Ganondorf's hands. But now they are even more lost, now that the bow is gone. They have no goal. Will you try to help them? I would do it myself, but... non-corporeal beings have a little trouble doing much of anything."

"I don't know what I could do," Hibiscus said hesitantly.

"I do not know what to do either," the man said with a smile. "But I'd still like to try. Would you?"

Hibiscus really couldn't see how she could say no to that. How in the world could she say no to her dead great-great-grandfather, who wasn't even certain on what to do himself? "Do you have an idea?" she asked finally.

The man's smile grew. "I have one. Though it may not work. Magic Powder."

Hibiscus frowned at that. "Never heard of Magic Powder before."

"It is not easy to find. Before the Gerudo rule, there were very few people who knew how to make it as it was. I imagine most of them did not survive, if any at all."

"So then how are we supposed to get some?"

"I've had some time to think about that," the man said thoughtfully, and Hibiscus resisted the urge to roll her eyes at that understatement. "I believe our best bet would be the Gorons."

"...The rock people? They're actually real?"

"You've heard of them?"

"In mythological studies, yes."

"Myth?" The man laughed at that. "How wonderful! But anyway, they are a very old people, and if anyone remembers how Magic Powder is to be found, it will be they."

Suddenly Hibiscus realized what it was the man was about to ask her to do. "You want me to go all the way to the mountains!?"

He bit his lip. "You are a bit young to go on such a journey on your own, but that never stopped anyone in our family before. Of course... if you cannot go, I will understand. I doubt your father would appreciate me sending you off like this."

Hibiscus stood. This wasn't at all what she thought she'd have to do. She thought she would just have to say a prayer or something, or find a priest. Not go into the mountains, looking for a race of people that could very well be dead. "I can't do that!" she protested. "I still have to find my dad, anyway! He's somewhere in the palace, and something might have happened to him."

"Oh?" Her great-great-grandfather raised an eyebrow in concern. "Does not Zelda control the palace yet? I had thought Ganondorf was defeated."

"Well he was, but he might've just been reborn a couple days ago."

Before her, the ghost gave a thoughtful hum. "A baby isn't much of a threat. But then again, I suppose he is also an idea, isn't he? And ideas can be the most dangerous things of all."

Before Hibiscus could respond, Sturgeon reappeared. "You hooligan! Your train crashing into mine dislodged all my stuff! Look at this!" he held up what was once a computer, but was now sporting a long, obvious crack.

"I have to go!" Hibiscus said, her voice apologizing to both Sturgeon and the ghost.

"I understand," the ghost replied, but Sturgeon was far less forgiving.

"I'll be taking this out of your pay, young lady!"

Hibiscus quickly ducked out of the room and returned to her train. She felt awful as guilt tore through her. This was not what she wanted to deal with right now. She had wanted to just find her father and make sure he was alright, and then they could go home and forget the entire thing. How was it fair that now, suddenly, she alone could help the lost souls of Ganondorf's initial attack?

_"It's not fair,"_ she decided as she started her train back down the tracks. _"I never asked for a quest. That's Dad's thing!"_

There was a reason nobody had gone to the mountains yet, even with the lands now free to travel. Places like that were dangerous, fatally so. She wanted to stay focused on finding her father for now. Because then, maybe, they could go to the mountains together. Link would know exactly how to find the Gorons, of that she was positive. _"Yeah... Dad will know what to do."_

Feeling only a little better, she tried to ignore the angry screams and moans that surrounded her as she flew through the dark forest.

* * *

It wasn't until the tracks began to suddenly fall back underground that she remembered there were several entrances to the palace station. With a new found sense of hope, she wondered if maybe the entrance she was going to go through, from the forest, would not have any guards at all. After all, who would try to travel through the Lost Woods just to get to the palace when there were far safer and quicker ways?

The tunnel she quickly found herself in was pitch black, and even her flashlight did little to push back the darkness. Eventually her light glinted off of something metal; it was too high up to be coming from the tracks, so she quickly pulled on the brakes and marched towards whatever it was by foot.

As she drew closer, she realized that the shimmering metal was part of a much larger train that was parked alongside a wooden platform. She found herself staring in awe at it, despite the fact that most of the paint had peeled off.

"The Spirit Train," she said quietly, wincing when her voice echoed about the cavern despite her attempt at keeping a low voice. She swung the flashlight around her, but couldn't see anyone else around. There were no lights either, which she felt was a pretty good sign that there were no guards down here. She felt a bit of smugness creep into her; she had been right about no one expecting the tunnel from the forest to be taken.

Casting one last look at the large train, she quickly scrambled off of the tracks and onto the platform. Not too far off was a ladder that led up to the palace. She remembered hearing about that particular floor of the palace, and that it had been built like a maze by Ganondorf to slow down intruders.

Wishing she had remembered this earlier, she began to climb up the ladder.

_"I'll just follow the left-turn rule,"_ she thought to herself. _"Or, wait... was it the right-turn rule?"_

She could remember discussing this with one of her classmates once; the best way to solve a maze, was to always make the same kind of turn. She paused just before the cellar-like door that sat at the top of the ladder.

_"Maybe it doesn't matter as long as I just keep making the same turn... and if that doesn't work I can always back track and try the other direction later!"_

With a nod of agreement to herself, she pushed the door open. There were a few dim lights swinging above her, revealing long, undecorated passageways. With a sigh of relief she noticed that there was still an obvious lack of guards. Wondering if the palace was always like this, or if most of the guards had been moved around since the birth of a Gerudo boy, Hibiscus set off through the maze.

* * *

By the time she finally found a door, her legs were exhausted. The door was like a breath of fresh air, and she very nearly burst into tears at the sight of it.

"Oh thank you thank you thank you!" she exclaimed, feeling a sudden urge to hug the door if she could. "I thought I was going to die in here!"

Without really thinking, she shoved the door open and stepped through. The next room was much brighter. Expensive looking chandeliers swung on a high, arched ceiling, and a soft, green carpet lay at her feet. Large pots of flowers lined the walls, leading towards large doors that looked like the main entrance to the palace. By her side was a long flight of stairs, and just in front of her were several guards, both Hylian and Gerudo, all wearing matching expressions of anger at the sudden sight of her.

"Oh...no..." Hibiscus muttered, just before finding herself surrounded by the raised barrels of several rifles. Quicker than she thought possible, she had her hands in the air. "Don't shoot! Please don't shoot! I'm just here to find my dad! He should be here! Don't shoot! My name is Rosy! No, Hibiscus! Hibiscus Cornelia Rose!"

As she continued to blabber on, the guards glanced at each other uncertainly.

"We should just throw her in a cell for now," one of guards said; a Gerudo.

A Hylian gave a snort. "Well she's certainly not going to _your_ dungeon."

"We don't want her anyway, Hylian!"

The two glared at each other for a moment while one of the Gerudo guards went stalking off, as if tired of the entire thing. As the Hylian guard lowered her gun slightly and stepped forward, the Gerudo disappeared up the long flight of stairs.

The Hylian guard cleared her throat. "You there, little girl!"

"...and I haven't seen him in days, so I thought, what the heck! I'll just take the wagon train and find him myself-"

"Shut up already!" the guard snapped. "We're going to take you to a cell until we find someone to deal with you."

"Oh, but... I haven't found my dad yet..." Hibiscus said weakly as a strong hand gripped her by the arm and began to pull her along. Two other Hylian guards followed closely, their guns always pointed right at her back. "If you could just find him for me, everything will be cleared up!"

Then, remembering the effect her father's name had had on the other guards from outside the palace, she quickly continued. "His name is Link!"

They had just left the main hall and were wandering down a narrow hallway when all three guards sucked in a deep breath and stopped.

For a short moment Hibiscus felt victorious, and she let a smirk grow on her face. Then she looked at their faces, and noticed that the awe that had been on the other guards' faces wasn't there. In fact, they seemed even angrier than before.

"Uh..." she started in uncertainly.

"Be quiet!" the guard that was still holding onto her arm said roughly.

"Ma'am, we need to take her to the queen right away!" one of the guards from in back of her said.

"Oh, really?" Hibiscus asked, feeling a little more comfortable again. "Well that's ok, too! Lead the way!" While she couldn't really remember much of the few times Zelda had visited, she knew from the way her father talked about her that she would be able to clear things up for her right away.

_"She's supposedly wise,"_ her father had once said with his usual goofy grin. She still didn't understand what he had meant by the "supposedly" bit, but she _was_ the carrier of the Triforce of Wisdom. That had to count for something.

She was marched back into the hall they had just left, and then they quickly began to ascend the long flight of stairs. The longer they walked the more nervous she began to feel. Just why, exactly, _did_ she need to see Zelda?

_"I hope nothing happened to Dad..."_

Soon they reached a large hallway that held only three doors. One was directly across from them, another lay to the right, and the third was on the left. The door in front looked old; the wood that made it up had that dark color that came only with years of constant exposure to air. The other two doors, however, looked almost brand new, and Hibiscus noticed that the one on the right had a symbol of the Triforce carved into it, while the one on the left proudly displayed the exotic looking symbol of the Gerudo.

Hibiscus recalled Orca mentioning to her father - in the conversation she had eavesdropped on - that the palace was segregated now. Was it that Zelda and her advisors lived on the right side, and the Gerudo council on the left? _"It must take forever to talk to each other like that,"_ she thought to herself as the guards began to pull her towards the door on the right.

Just before they reached it the door on the left swung open, and a tall Gerudo stepped into the hall. She wore those same puffy looking pants that the guards wore, only this one didn't have the bullet proof vest. Instead she was garbed in a silken white shirt that revealed a well muscled stomach and arms. Red hair with strands of grey weaved into it was swinging behind her in a long ponytail, and Hibiscus found herself enthralled with the woman. She was gushing confidence on a level the young Hylian had never seen before, and didn't even blink her golden eyes at all when the three Hylian guards turned to glare at her.

"Lucine," one of the guards said.

Hibiscus frowned; she had heard the name before, she knew she had. She wasn't given much time to work it out, however, when Lucine spoke up in a silken voice.

"I'd like to see that girl for a moment. You are dismissed."

The guards stiffened, and Hibiscus felt the hand on her arm tighten uncomfortably.

"She needs to see the queen immediately," the guard said.

"Yes, yes, I'll take care of it," the Gerudo replied in an even tone. A glare began to form on her face when the guards remained where they were. "Do you really wish to go against such simple wishes of a Gerudo council member?" She began to study the nails of one of her hands. "My my, what might Zelda think of that? Things are already tense between our two peoples; this won't help at all."

"Very well," the guard holding Hibiscus said gruffly. "Just make sure she sees the queen!"

"Of course," Lucine said with a smile. "Come, child, I wish to speak with you before you hold an audience with your queen."

Hibiscus rubbed at her sore arm as the Hylian guards marched away.

"Gerudo scum," she heard one of them mutter rather loudly.

Lucine's eyes narrowed at the remark, but she didn't say anything. She had had her victory, and wasn't about to press her luck. Hibiscus, on the other hand, was far too taken aback by the obvious anger in the guard's voice to even think of a retort.

"This way," Lucine said, waving Hibiscus over to her.

At first Hibiscus thought they would go into the Gerudo wing of the palace, but to her surprise she was led instead to the first door, the old one with no symbol or other distinguishing marks carved into it at all.

"In here. No one will dare try to get too close to listen in if we're here," Lucine said, her voice laced with a hint of dry amusement.

"Why is that?" Hibiscus asked, but once she stepped inside she discovered her answer for herself. A cold shiver ran down her back when she saw what lay inside the room.

* * *

**Ooooo, mysterious cliffhanger! :-D Now if you'll excuse me, I have to take Doggie out for the fifteenth time this hour.**

**As always, thanks for reading! **


	7. Alarm Bells

**Soooo sorry for the delay, folks! Last week was crazier than I thought it would be. But I'm back now, and, in my opinion, with a bang! I hope you all enjoy this chapter!**

**Thanks for your review, Guest, and thanks to everyone who followed or favorited this fic during its hiatus! A big huge thanks to all of you who are still reading this after such a long hiatus! Cookies for all of you! **

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Chapter 7

Alarm Bells

The statue before her was one of the ugliest Hibiscus had ever laid eyes on. In fact, she would go even beyond that and call it hideous. It was made of old, cracked stone, with large lumps creating the figure of some sort of boar-like monster. It was collapsed on the ground and stuck in an awkward position of looking like it had just tripped and fallen. A deep blue sword hilt, which was the only thing with color on the statue, protruded from the creature's forehead. Whether there was an actual blade that had slid through the statue's head or not Hibiscus couldn't tell.

The creepiest thing about it, however, was not the sharp looking claws on its single hand or the large tusks on its face; no, it was the eyes. Despite the fact that they were stone, just like everything else about it, Hibiscus almost got the feeling that they were watching her. A shadow of anger was etched around its pupils, forcing the hairs on the back of her neck to stand up. She had no idea who would carve such a furious looking statue, never mind _why_.

It wasn't even in a place of interest in the room, and was instead placed almost haphazardly off to the side, as if someone had tried to drag it away at one point across the marble floor but then had given up on it. Now it lay there, abandoned and partially covered in dust, to cast its glare at whoever entered the musty, old room.

"What is that supposed to be?" Hibiscus asked, reaching towards it.

"Don't touch the sword," Lucine commanded in a voice that demanded immediate obedience.

Hibiscus quickly pulled her hand back. "What is this place?"

"This is what is left of Ganondorf's throne room."

Turning away from the statue, Hibiscus noticed that at the far end of the room, placed just in front of the chipped marble wall, was a large chair. In a better time, Hibiscus imagined, it had once looked elaborate; despite the rotting wood and the unmistakable sound of insects chewing away at its insides, the edges of its arms and legs were still patterned with swirling beads of darker wood that hinted at a once larger design.

"I come here as often as I can," Lucine continued. "To remind myself that power can corrupt... even the kindest of souls."

Hibiscus noticed the older woman was looking at the statue as she spoke. Glancing back at the ugly statue, a small frown began to work its way across the teenager's brow. "I don't understand."

Lucine's features softened. "Good. Pray you never do."

"Why am I here?" Hibiscus asked, beginning to feel frustrated that a simple search for her father kept getting detoured.

"Straight to business; I like that." Lucine gave an approving grunt before folding her arms behind her almost like a bird. Her soft slippers barely made a sound as the woman began to pace before the statue. With another shiver, Hibiscus became quickly convinced that the statue's eyes were following the Gerudo. She quickly forced her own eyes to watch Lucine, inching away from the statue as her eyes swung back and forth in time with the woman's pacing.

"The palace is not a safe place right now," Lucine said sharply. "Especially for you."

Alarm bells began to ring in Hibiscus' head; not for her but for Link. "Where's my father?" she repeated, matching Lucine's harsh tone almost perfectly.

"I do not know. I did not even know he was here until I spoke with Russ the previous day."

"But you're on the Gerudo council! Shouldn't you know what's going on?"

Lucine sighed ruefully. Her pacing stopped abruptly as she finally turned her golden eyes onto Hibiscus. "There have been difficulties within the council. There is a split between those who want to embrace change and our Hylian friends, and those who crave their roots and traditions. The split makes it difficult for us to trust each other, and to make things worse some of us believe we should not include Zelda and the rest of you Hylians in our decisions." A bitter look passed over Lucine's narrow face. "I created this council for the purpose of letting everyone come to a decision that benefits all. For my part, I believe that _everyone_ includes the Hylians. Despite your annoyances," Lucine added with a twitch of a teasing smile.

Hibiscus, however, wasn't in the mood for jests. "What happened to him? The baby, I mean."

Lucine's frown deepened, and any hint of amusement that had begun to work its way onto her face disappeared. "There is none."

"...What?"

"I told you it is not safe for you here, Hibiscus. Nor is it safe for others. Part of the council made the baby up. Somehow they convinced Zelda that they were telling the truth, and then..."

A cold feeling settled in Hibiscus' stomach. "They did it to lure my father here. Why? And how could Queen Zelda be tricked like that?"

"I do not know," Lucine said, finally meeting Hibiscus' eyes. The golden irises, while still brimming with confidence, looked also worried.

Hibiscus tucked the many loose strands of her hair behind her pointed ears. "What _do_ you know?"

"When Russ came to ask me about the supposed birth of a Gerudo male, I suspected the same as you do: a trap for Link. By the time I arrived at the council chamber, Zelda was leaving and Link was nowhere to be seen. Although..."

"Although?" Hibiscus pressed impatiently when Lucine's eyes drifted back to the statue.

"I noticed there were several large bruises on several of the council members faces... as if there had been some sort of struggle."

"But Queen Zelda was there! She'll know what happened," Hibiscus said, already moving towards the door.

"Zelda... is not quite herself."

Hibiscus stopped short, something in the woman's voice forcing yet another shiver down her spine. "What do you mean?"

"For these past few weeks, she was uncharacteristically... aloof during our discussions. She no longer seems to care that the council has become even more separated. It was almost as if... she was enjoying the arguments."

Hibiscus frowned. "What do you think is wrong with her?"

Lucine shook her head. "Strange things have been going on in the palace. Certain members of the council have become much more secretive as of late, several of the guards of both races act as if they are hiding something, and Zelda remains shut in the Hylian wing almost all the time. I haven't caught a single glimpse of her since I searched for Link." She sighed. "When one of my sisters came to tell me you were here, I was hoping _you_ would know where your father was, as I would greatly like to speak with him. If nothing else, he could investigate the Hylian wing without attracting too much attention. If I were to go in there, I wouldn't make it very far."

"I could do that!" Hibiscus said quickly. "If Dad's in there, I could find him, and if he isn't maybe I can figure out where he is. The queen should be expecting me by now anyway, right?"

Lucine studied her carefully. "Are you certain? It may not be safe. Your father has already disappeared without a trace. I don't know what would happen if you went in there."

"Well I have to try something. I can't just give up now that I'm this close."

Lucine dipped her head in acquiescence. "I will remain here. Return when you are finished, and I will make sure you get out of the palace. You must make it back here on your own, however."

Hibiscus winked. "Piece of cake."

Lucine raised a slanted eyebrow at her before letting out a snort of amusement. She gestured towards the doors. "Good luck."

As soon as the heavy doors closed behind her, Hibiscus began to feel her previous confidence leave her. It had been easy to _talk_ about the plan, especially with such a tough looking Gerudo nearby that was obviously on her side, but now she was on her own. For a while she stood before the doors, back turned to them and struggling against the urge to turn around and tell Lucine she had changed her mind. Finally, with a reluctant twitch of muscle, she pushed one booted foot forwards. Each step brought her closer to the doors of the Hylian wing, and by the time she reached them her palms were damp with sweat.

"Get it together, Rosy," she whispered to herself. "Zelda might be acting weird around the Gerudo, but she's still Dad's friend. She's not dangerous at all. And... Dad's in there somewhere. He's gotta be! He won't let anything bad happen."

Feeling only a little better, rubbed her hands against her pants before giving the doors a push. _"Just gotta find Zelda. Then everything will be explained, you can find Dad, and go home. And sleep.'"_

She hadn't realized it until that moment, but she was feeling rather exhausted. She hadn't slept since the night before, and as the doors swung open wider to reveal yet another large hallway, she noticed that there was a large window at the far end, revealing the grey of an early morning sky. On each side of the hallway lay several doors, and for a long moment Hibiscus remained standing in the doorway, wondering which door belonged to Zelda.

She was saved from having to knock at each one, however, when one of them burst open, as if the room's occupant had been listening against the dark wood for the hallway's main doors to be opened. As the door squeaked to a halt, it let out a tall woman dressed in a simple looking dress that stretched to the floor to hide her feet. It looked to be made of humble materials that rustled noisily with every movement the woman made, and was mostly a dark blue; the only remarkable piece of the dress was the symbol of the Triforce, stitched in golden thread, that sat over the woman's chest.

Her face was thin, with a pointed chin and a brow covered with worry lines. Just as with the statue, though, Hibiscus was drawn to the eyes. Unlike the anger in the statue's eyes, these held something she couldn't quite identify. Behind the icy blue orbs was something that made Hibiscus feel far more uncomfortable, and she found herself wishing she was back underneath the boar-monster's stony scowl.

Those eyes stared at Hibiscus until a slow smile began to form on the woman's pale lips, making her cheeks looks even more wrinkled than they already were. "Hibiscus?" the woman asked slowly, almost as if she hadn't spoken in so long that she had forgotten how to do it properly.

Hibiscus felt a thrill of victory. "Queen Zelda!"

The aged woman's long-fingered hand flitted through the air in an uncertain wave back towards her room. "Come."

Feeling rather overwhelmed with suddenly meeting Queen Zelda herself, Hibiscus stumbled down the hallway towards the elderly Hylian. Zelda turned and walked back into the room she had just left, her long, plain dress swishing noisily around her, and thick sounding boots falling against the floor in heavy thuds with every step she took. It was then that Hibiscus realized she wasn't exactly in the best of appearances. Her hair was disheveled, and her riding clothes were covered with grass stains and dirt. Feeling more than a little embarrassed about this, Hibiscus shuffled into the room after the queen.

"I was told you were here, though when you didn't arrive immediately I grew concerned." She was still using that slow style of speech, though the more she talked the quicker she became, like a bee adjusting to the warmer weather of spring after a long winter. "Please, take a seat." There was another flutter of the woman's hand, this time towards a nearby chair.

They were in a comfortably sized drawing room, the kind that wasn't too big that it was overwhelming, but not too small either that it became awkward. All around her were large sofas covered in plump cushions, and more of those large pots of flowers that cast off a pleasant smell of summer. Hibiscus gratefully sunk into one of the sofas, all of her adventures of the night making her feel that she had travelled much farther than she really had.

"What brings you here?" Zelda asked curiously, sitting down across from her. They were separated only by a short distance and a small wooden table, the surface of which was covered with rings from the many glasses and mugs of drinks that must have rested on it.

"I was hoping to find my dad," Hibiscus explained, searching the other woman's face before she even finished speaking. There was no sense of familiarity with the way Zelda was staring at her, and Hibiscus was beginning to feel that she had stepped into a stranger's room.

"Your...dad. Of course," Zelda said, though from the tone of her voice Hibiscus got the feeling she had no idea what she was talking about. This immediately started ringing those alarm bells in her head again. "Would you like some tea?" Zelda reached with a gloved hand for a small bell that rested on the table.

"No, thanks. I just want to know where he is."

"Of course." Zelda leaned back, away from the bell, though she was staring at it with an almost longing expression.

An awkward silence fell between them, and after a while Zelda moved her gaze so she was no longer staring at the bell but at Hibiscus; she still wore that same, large smile on her face that Hibiscus had been greeted with. It hadn't so much as lessened by a centimeter, and despite the fact that her face must be incredibly sore by now for holding such a large smile for so long, Zelda showed no signs of dropping it any time soon.

"Do you know anything?" Hibiscus asked finally.

"Of course."

Once again, silence fell.

Zelda slowly tilted her head, listening to something Hibiscus couldn't hear, no matter how hard she strained her ears. "Of course!" Zelda said with much more enthusiasm as her head suddenly straightened. "He should be arriving by noon today."

"Arriving? You mean, back at the farm?"

"The farm. Of course."

"But where did he go?"

Zelda leaned forward, the large smile only getting wider. "I'm afraid that's a secret, Hibiscus. Important, royal business is always secret."

Hibiscus leaned back into her sofa, both from exhaustion and in an attempt to increase the distance between her and Zelda. "But he's ok. That's good."

"Yes, it is. Are you sure you don't want any tea?"

"Um... I should be getting back. Byrne will be up soon, and... I'd kinda like to be back home before that happens."

"Byrne. Of course." Once again there was the tone in her voice, that uncertainty that made Hibiscus suspect Zelda had no idea who Byrne was either.

"Yeah... um... thanks." Hibiscus slowly got to her feet and fought against herself to not run straight back to Lucine. If this was how Zelda always was, she could completely understand why her father never wanted to visit her anymore. She could feel that large smile following her as she slipped from the room. Holding her breath until she made it back to the old throne room, she didn't start breathing again until she spotted Lucine standing before the ugly statue.

"Well?" Lucine asked, turning away to face Hibiscus.

"Queen Zelda is... scary. Way more scary than I remember. But she said Dad's on his way home, and should be back by noon."

"That is good news," Lucine said with a sigh of relief. "Did you discover anything else?"

Hibiscus had completely forgotten that she was supposed to have been investigating the entire Hylian wing. "Uh..."

Lucine smiled understandingly. "Very well. That is probably for the best. This is something I will discuss with your father. Tell him I must speak with him as soon as you see him.

"Ok."

"Now come. I will show you out. You came through the station, yes?"

"Yeah."

"Follow closely, and don't make too much noise."

* * *

Lack of sleep and excitement over her father returning soon made Hibiscus feel lightheaded. It was hard to keep from bursting into random giggles every time Byrne voiced any concern over her father. But she couldn't tell him what she knew, because otherwise he would know what she had done, and then he'd never trust her again.

Noon couldn't come soon enough, and when it did Hibiscus sought out the nearest window and kept her eyes glued to the dirt path.

"What's wrong?" Byrne asked.

"I've got a good feeling about today!" Hibiscus said cheerfully, still staring at the path.

A deep grunt escaped from the man's throat, but he made no other sign that he was unimpressed by her sudden optimism.

"There he is!"

Byrne looked up from mending one of his shirts, surprise and hope etched on his face. "Really?"

"Come on!"

They both charged out of the house to wait on the porch. There was her father, walking casually down the road.

That's a weird outfit," Byrne commented.

With a frown, Hibiscus realized that Byrne was right. Her father was strolling along in what looked like a long, black robe, with sandals poking out from underneath the hem. She had never seen such a strange looking ensemble before in her life, and couldn't imagine where he had gotten it from.

Her tired brain was too excited to care, though, and after spending another second watching his slow, comfortable pace, she could no longer contain herself and went racing down the steps towards him.

"Dad! We were all so worried about you!" She slammed into him, gripping him tightly in a hug. He smelled of antiseptic and a mix of other chemicals that reminded her of a hospital, and his robe felt cold against her cheek despite the warm sun glaring down on the dark fabric.

"Hi there, Rosy," her father said slowly. Slowly and uncertainly, and sounding very much like he was just coming out a deep sleep.

Hibiscus pulled back slightly. _"Why does he sound like Queen Zelda all the sudden?"_

Then her father pulled her back into the hug, and she noticed with a start that he was using _both_ arms. His right arm was moving just as easily as his left, but such a thing shouldn't be possible. His shoulder had been damaged beyond repair during the war, and he could only move it a little in any given direction. All the doctors he had gone to see about it had all said the same thing: he would never regain any more motor control in that arm than he already had.

Hibiscus stepped away, staring at him cautiously. "Is everything ok, Dad?"

"Ok?" he repeated uncertainly, as if unfamiliar with the word. Then he smiled, and the large grin covered his entire face but somehow managed to not reach his eyes. Eyes, which, Hibiscus noticed with a sense of dread, had that same dulled look in them that Zelda's had had. "Of course."

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**Honest reviews are like sharing: it's caring! **

**Also, I'm changing my updating schedule a bit. New chapters will now be posted every other week, due to both my amazing beta-reader, VioletInc, and myself being incredibly busy (which reminds me, I should probably say that my beta-reader is even busier than me and didn't have time to yell at me for any stupid mistakes I made in this chapter; therefore any and all mistakes that you found here are mine... They're mine either way, but I like to blame other people when I can because I'm a horrible, horrible person XD). I'm also thinking about updating during the weekend instead of on Tuesdays, but I haven't worked out the details on that yet. Sorry about the uncertainty right now, I promise that by next chapter things will have settled down a bit. Expect Chapter 8 the week after next, _probably_ on either Saturday or Sunday.**

**As always, thanks very much for reading! Take care, folks, and see you next time! **


	8. Playing Games

**Thanks to Guest for your review! In answer to your question: I dunno ;-)**

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Chapter 8

Playing Games

Several days passed after Link's return, and each day both Byrne and Hibiscus felt increasingly concerned over the man's odd behavior. There were times when they would catch him just staring at them, that same large smile on his face that never seemed to leave; normally Hibiscus would be thrilled to see her father so happy, but this wasn't _his_ smile. It was so far off from _his_ smile that it only served to send chills through her every time she saw it.

During the evening of his first day back, Hibiscus had told him about her meeting with Lucine, and that the woman had wanted to see him herself. But all she had gotten for her trouble was "Lucine? Of course." After that he seemed to forget about the whole thing, or, if not forget, then ignore, because he never left for the palace to seek the Gerudo council member out.

Two weeks after his return found Byrne and Hibiscus sitting along the fence around their crops, watching the sunrise. They were discussing the only thing that they had to discuss: Link. Because everything else seemed suddenly very trivial.

"Maybe he's worried about Zelda," Byrne suggested in an uncertain tone.

Hibiscus scowled as she picked at a loose thread along her long skirt. "So what, he's in shock? Come on, Dad's not like that."

Byrne gave a shrug, silently questioning her as to what else it could be.

"I don't know," Hibiscus replied with a groan. "I just wish he'd snap out of it already. It's sort of... creepy." She felt awful saying it; this was her father she was talking about after all, and yet at the same time she felt immensely relieved that she had managed to finally admit it.

"I know," Byrne said, his deep voice dropping to barely a whisper.

With the gigantic man agreeing with her, Hibiscus thought that the sun rising before them felt just a little bit warmer. It wasn't just her; there really was something very wrong with her father.

Hibiscus leaned closer to her friend, lowering her own voice as well. "And did you notice that he's always wearing gloves? Even at breakfast and dinner. What's up with that?"

Byrne shrugged again.

"I think we should go to Sera's," Hibiscus decided, straightening her back as her voice took on a more decisive tone. "She has a ton of books, maybe something there can help us."

"That's not a bad idea. We could go now, and be back before dinner. Let's just tell Link and..." he drifted off, staring at the silent house.

Hibiscus followed his gaze and felt that familiar shiver roll through her. Despite the fact that she knew Link was in there, and most likely awake and moving around, the house seemed to give off a sense of being empty. From the cautious look in Byrne's eyes, Hibiscus could tell he felt the same way.

Her large friend slid off of the fence, his boots landing on the dusty ground with a loud thud. "Let's just go now."

* * *

Hibiscus hadn't thought it possible, but Sera's store was even more chaotic than the last time she had visited it. Impal was obviously feeling much better now, and was darting about the store on unsteady legs, giggling over his new found freedom that came with being able to run. Every so often he would come to regret his latest ability whenever he crashed into something and ended up falling roughly to the floor. Then the store would erupt into screaming and crying, which both Beth and Orca would try to stop with loud rattles. A few minutes later the crying stopped, only to be replaced with the same giggling and pitter-patter of little, running feet.

"Well I don't know why you're so interested in magic all the sudden," Sera said with her hands on her hips as she watched Hibiscus and Byrne wander through the book section of her store. "I'm afraid we don't have much beyond a few fairy-tales here and there."

"Do you have anything on people's behaviors changing suddenly?" Hibiscus asked.

For a moment the old woman's lips became pursed, and Hibiscus could see the question of why they wanted such books forming around them. Then Impal fell again, and the pathetic wails served to distract her enough that she dropped her own question and jumped straight to answering Hibiscus'.

"I wouldn't know, dear, I've just gotten the hang of the whole reading thing. I'm still trying to get through Impal's picture books, for the goddesses' sakes!" A sudden silence pulled her gaze past the bead curtain and into the other part of the store. Suddenly she scowled. "Hey, you two, the little one's trying to climb the counter! Where are you!?" she shouted as she stormed out of the room, disappearing behind the rows of swinging beads.

Ignoring the grandmother's attempts to protect Impal and scold the boy's negligent parents all at once, Hibiscus and Byrne gathered up as many promising titles as they could find before settling down in a corner of the room. It was still early morning, and although Sera's shop was already open there were no customers yet. However as the day progressed, a few people wandered in and skimmed through some of the books in other parts of the room, Hylian and Gerudo alike. Sera was one of the few shop owners that welcomed either race, claiming that they hadn't gone through that whole war just for the segregation to continue.

Hours passed in silence as the two youngsters read through each book slowly and carefully, not wanting to miss a single thing incase what they were looking for came up. It never did, and Byrne closed his last book with a groan.

"Nothing." His head fell backwards, only to be stopped by the wall behind it with a solid sounding thud.

Hibiscus pursed her lips. "We need an expert on strange behavior..." she said, her words coming out slower than usual as she struggled to come up with a solution at the same time that she spoke.

"Sturgeon?"

Hibiscus shot him a withering look. "Professor Sturgeon is strange behavior personified, but I don't think he cares enough about human behavior to bother learning about any of it. We need someone else, someone who has actual experience with weird stuff like this, and-" Hibiscus cut herself off, realizing that she already knew the person she should talk to first.

"What?" Byrne asked nervously, recognizing the expression on her face.

"Hey, Byrne... up for a ride on your train?"

* * *

The sun was beginning to dip back down towards the horizon when they finally arrived at the forest temple. Byrne had grumbled and complained the whole way, wondering _why_ they had to go there, but Hibiscus refused to tell him. It was hard enough thinking of a way to explain about the ghost of a long dead ancestor without having to come up with an excuse on how she had actually met him to begin with. Not to mention she was rather enjoying his constant stream of complaints; it was the longest she had ever heard him talk. So she had just asked him to trust her, and like the friend she knew he was, he had. Not without complaining, of course, but he had.

"There you are!" Sturgeon was quick to greet her as the wagon train slowed to a stop in the temple's station. His arms were crossed over his chest, and a foot was tapping impatiently, as if he had been waiting there for her for the entire time she had been gone. "About time! You don't get paid for slacking off, assistant!"

Byrne looked at her, eyes narrowed in suspicion, as she climbed out of the train. "Were you here before?"

"Byrne, please, just keep him out of that room over there for as long as you can."

The man heaved a sigh but then nodded. "Fine."

"Hey, hey, I'm talking to you assistant!" Sturgeon screeched, his arms unfolding so he could point at Hibiscus. Freezing in place underneath the accusing finger, she watched as Sturgeon turned his glare onto Byrne. "And don't think I don't notice your friend over there! Byrne, if you think you can sneak past me and learn all about my research without me knowing, you are sadly mistaken!"

"Hey, Sturgeon," Byrne began casually as he switched off his train's engine, "want to play I Spy?"

Sturgeon's head turned a faint shade of red as he glared at Byrne, and his hand dropped to his side. "You hooligan, who do you take me for!? Of course I want to play I Spy!"

Hibiscus stared at her teacher for a moment in shock. When Byrne made a shooing gesture at her, she remembered that they had come here for a reason. She quickly filed away this new piece of information about her teacher to think about later. Slipping past Sturgeon, who was peering about the room in search of something for Byrne to spy, she ran into the room where her great-great-grandfather was.

"You're back!" the man said happily, still seated on the floor just as she had left him.

"I need to ask you something," Hibiscus began hesitantly, feeling the guilt returning as she stared into those dark eyes.

The man listened attentively as she described both her father and Zelda's strange behavior. While she had no idea how Zelda normally acted, she was fairly certain it wasn't like how she had seen her. Not to mention Lucine had also been concerned about it. She did, however, know her father, and was able to go into great specifics about him.

"...and he's always cooking the same thing, for every meal. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it's the same soup. It's almost as if he's forgotten how to make anything else, and one time I asked him if he would and all he said was 'of course' before going back to preparing the soup. And everything he does... I mean, _everything_, is really slow and deliberate. Like he's trying to be careful that he doesn't mispronounce anything or make a mistake." Hibiscus paused to take in a breath, and then looked at the ghost expectantly.

"This is most troubling," the man said quietly, and Hibiscus heart sunk even lower.

She had been hoping he would have a quick and easy answer, but the grave look on his face forced her back into the thought that things were much more serious than she had been pretending they were.

"It sounds like magic is at work here. Something very powerful, too, if it is able to affect bearers of the Triforce like this."

"Do you know how to reverse it?"

The man gazed up at the ceiling thoughtfully for a long moment. "No," he finally said, in a very decisive tone. "I don't even know what it is to begin with."

"Oh."

"Don't get discouraged just yet," the man said, a little more brightly. "We have to do something, especially since the queen is affected! Perhaps Magic Powder could help them as well."

"You think so?" If it had been anyone else suggesting this, Hibiscus might have suspected that they were simply on their own agenda and just trying to get her to find the Magic Powder for themselves. But with him, she knew he was only trying to help her as much as he could. She couldn't explain _why_; maybe it was the almost nostalgic look that she saw in his eyes every time he looked at her - as if he were seeing an old friend - or maybe it was just in her own imagination, because family had always been something she knew she could trust, but she _knew_ he wasn't trying to trick her.

"It has been known to break through powerful spells." The man rolled his shoulders in a shrug. "It is worth a try, is it not?"

"So... I guess I'm going to the mountains after all."

"Take care out there. If you can find someone to go with you, I would greatly recommend it. Although... I don't think I would suggest your father."

"Don't worry. I know just the guy," Hibiscus said with a grin.

The ghost bowed his head. "Good luck."

Before Hibiscus completely left the room, she turned back. The man looked back up at her with a smile. "Forget something?"

"I'll make sure I get enough Magic Powder," she promised. "For everyone."

"That would be much appreciated, little one."

"I'll see you in a bit..." A grin began to form on Hibiscus face. "Gramps."

A warm chuckle erupted from the man's mouth, following after her as she left the room to join Byrne and Sturgeon.

"You dratted hooligan! It has to be the torch flames! There's nothing else that's orange!"

She rolled her eyes at the much older man's antics, but then paused when she noticed the bright orange shirt that he was wearing. Very quickly a single eyebrow rose to match Byrne's dubious expression perfectly.

"What?" He glanced down at himself before glaring up at Byrne. "We agreed last time we played we weren't going to pick what people are wearing!" he shouted, stomping a foot against the stone floor in protest. "I never notice what people are wearing!"

"Not even yourself?" Byrne asked disbelievingly.

"_Especially_ not myself. If I wasted my time worrying about what I was wearing, I'd never get anything done."

"Byrne," Hibiscus said quietly as the man continued to rant. "We should get going."

"Find anything?"

"Yeah." She glanced back over to Sturgeon, who was now silent and glowering at the pair of them, his arms once again folded in front of himself. "I'll explain later though."

"Ok. Bye, Sturgeon."

"Bye?" the man repeated with a croak. He sounded almost disappointed for a moment, but the usual agitation in his voice wasn't gone for long. "You're leaving already? Oh fine, I don't need help setting up any of my equipment anyway, which, by the way, is supposed to be your _job_, assistant. No, I'll just do it myself and- oh, they left already. Well good riddance! Lousy kids, wasting all my time anyway." Before he walked back into the other room, he glanced down at himself again. "Is this shirt _too_ orange, maybe?"

* * *

"So, what did you find out?" Byrne asked as they sped back down the tracks.

Hibiscus noticed with a smile that the ghosts weren't screaming at her on her way out of the forest this time. "We have to go to the mountains."

She had thought Byrne would just take her word for it again, just like how he had taken her to the forest without much complaint, but to her surprise the train slowly came to a stop. Looking away from watching the trees around them, she found Byrne twisted around in his seat and staring at her, his brow pulled down in an annoyed frown.

Hibiscus shifted in her seat nervously. "...What?"

"The forest was one thing, but the mountain is a completely different story. I'm not going anywhere until you explain. And I mean really explain. Don't leave anything out."

Hibiscus' shoulders slumped. "But... you'll be mad at me."

Byrne rubbed at his face with a hand, rubbing out his glare as if his palm was a giant eraser. "It wouldn't be the first time."

Only slightly encouraged by this truth, Hibiscus reluctantly launched into her secret adventure. Throughout it all Byrne's face reflected where she was in her story. At first it was furious that she had taken his train, then it was thoughtful when she described the ghosts, and then, as she reached the end of her tale, it was nothing but concerned; it seemed that even Byrne had been hoping her ancestor would have an easy answer, despite having just heard of him a few minutes ago.

"Alright then," Byrne said as soon as she had finished. "The mountains it is."

* * *

They would need supplies for their trip, and so they decided to go back to the farm first. Besides, Byrne was nervous to leave the animals in the care of the new Link without first making sure their bins were overloaded with food; he wanted to make sure they could last on their own for a while, just in case. While Link still helped out at the farm at the same level that he always had, the animals seemed to be very uncomfortable around him. Even the bright red filly, the target of Link's usual affections, merely stared at Link whenever she saw him instead of bounding towards him and nearly trampling him like she used to do.

Hibiscus had agreed to be the distraction while Byrne went all about the farm, settling the animals as best he could and then sneaking through the kitchen to find supplies and food for themselves. He had also mentioned sending a letter to Orca, so that he could come and check up on things when he got the chance.

"Hey, Dad," Hibiscus said quickly, catching Link in their reading room.

He never read, not anymore, and instead merely sat in one of the chairs for a while, flipping through the book he had been reading before he had left them for the palace; he flipped too quickly through it, however, and Hibiscus knew he wasn't absorbing any of the words. Every so often he would come across a picture, and some of them would apparently amuse him. He was staring at such a picture now, and with a quick glance at it Hibiscus recognized a drawing of a festival. Not long ago, The Festival of Time used to be Link's favorite fairy-tale; he had once told her that he had had this book when he was at school, and had imagined the outside world to look much the same as it did in that story. Now he was simply staring down at the depiction of the fireworks with a look on his face that made him look like he was struggling to hold in a sudden outburst of laughter, as if there were some joke hidden in the image that no one else had noticed.

With Hibiscus' appearance, however, he set the book down on his lap and turned dull eyes towards her. "Hi, Rosy," he said carefully, in that slow, deliberate way that she was far from getting used to.

Hibiscus took a deep breath. This was it. This was her last chance to try to snap her father out of his current state herself. She knew her real father would freak out if he learned she was going on a trip to a dangerous place. Hibiscus had never really considered herself to be very religious, but as she prepared her next words she sent a silent prayer that her father would come back to her now; or, at the very least, that he would show a sign that he was still in there somewhere.

"I'm going on a trip soon."

A small frown twitched at Link's eyebrows, as if he was having trouble processing what she was saying. "A trip. Of course. Have fun."

"Don't you want to know where I'm going?"

"Of course." He shrugged carelessly, and by the blank expression on his face Hibiscus couldn't tell if he actually wanted to know or not.

"The mountains!" Hibiscus smirked at him, waiting for the lecture.

It never came.

"Of course. Have fun." There was a flash of something, a flicker of fury in his eyes that disappeared so quickly Hibiscus felt she must have imagined it. After all, there was never any emotion in those blue eyes anymore.

"But..." Hibiscus' smile disappeared. "Don't you think it's dangerous?"

Link tilted his head curiously. "Dangerous? I suppose. But you can handle it, I'm sure." The same amused smile that he had had while reading began to worm its way back onto his face. Hibiscus couldn't see what was so funny.

He stood up, and the book in his lap fell to the ground. Hibiscus watched as it tumbled to the wooden floorboards almost in slow motion, only to land roughly and with a muffled thump; the pages curled underneath their bindings, but refused to fall flat. It looked as if they were trying their hardest to keep their protective cover from touching the floor, transforming themselves from the defended to the protectors after such a sudden and unexpected tumble. Hibiscus looked back from the book to her father; Link treated a book like some sacred object, and would never let it sit on the floor like that.

The smile was still there, still silently laughing at the hidden jest that only he had heard. She found that she couldn't stare at it for long, and so her eyes instinctively sought out a friendlier sight; automatically they flicked up to his eyes, only to be disappointed by the persistent blankness that permeated the once sparkling irises.

Ever so slowly, his left eyelid began to droop; it remained closed for a long moment before it slowly opened again. After that he walked past her, stepping over the book without even a glance as he left the room. She was too stunned to even bother going after him. He had just tried to wink at her.

* * *

**Thanks for reading! **

**I have decided on Sundays for my update day. For now, the schedule is still every other Sunday, though once winter break rolls around I'll probably speed that up for a few weeks. As always, please let me know if you have any questions/comments/complaints about anything!**


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